Homecoming
by YukiSkye
Summary: When he had taken Evan back to visit his family, he hadn't intended to stay for longer than a few hours but somehow finding himself suddenly roped into staying with this lively group for the duration of the week, Phantom slowly begins to learn the meaning of the word "family."
1. Homecoming

Okay... so... This would be my third attempt at a multichapter fic and I say attempt because I never managed to finish the other two because of frustrated efforts at writing them or plain losing inspiration. I don't want this one to end up the same. I want to finish at least one multichaptered story, sincerely I do. Now normally I would never ask this of my audience but I need help. I just want some encouragement or prods or something to help me along the way. It doesn't matter how you do it but it would help my morale immensely if people were there with me as I try to finish this story.

Thank you.

* * *

It had taken five days of the most nerve-wracking and frustrating sulking and moping he had ever had the misfortune of experiencing before Phantom finally caved in to the boy's silent demand.

The brat was homesick.

He had to pat himself on the back for lasting as long as he did but even he cannot withstand the supreme annoyance of the boy's five-second-interval sighs, his teeth-grindingly aggravating dumb spacey looks, his distractibility during studying and training,_ and setting his beautiful fifty million meso carpet on fire!_

_That_ had been the absolute last straw which was how he found himself miserably trudging along a dirt country road behind an annoyingly bouncy boy and a large dragon loping happily alongside them.

They had arranged for Evan to stay for about a week or so at home before Phantom came back to pick him up.

The cheer he practically _oozed_ was enough to make Phantom feel slightly queasy.

Yes, he'll be going home to his happy little home with his happy little family and his happy little pigs. Never mind that he had found a dragon he would have to explain and never mind the fact that he just abruptly disappeared during an ordinary outing in town that could have easily been read as a kidnapping and worrying his parents into heart attacks. Never mind that he must inform them of his new role as Dragon Master which came packaged with the duty to defeat the Black Mage, the most evil tyrant in the history of Maple World.

Nope it was all going to be just peachy.

Phantom growled and resisted the urge to throttle something.

Of course he hadn't taken any of that into account! Obviously the only thing that filled his head right now was going home!

Speaking of which, the small dot of brown in the distance among the sparse trees of the forest eventually started to resolve itself more firmly into a quaint-looking wooden house with a pleasant-looking creek bubbling along cheerfully in front of it and Phantom quickly intercepted Evan before they could proceed any further.

"Sir?"

Phantom pointed towards Mir and said dryly, "Now, unless you want to rush in and create an even bigger fuss than the one you're about to receive by parading in with that dragon, I suggest he wait somewhere else until they're ready to see him."

"O-oh… Right…" the boy mumbled. He turned towards his partner and asked, "Mir, is it okay if you wait a few minutes outside? My folks might freak if they see you without me splainin' first."

_Okay master,_ Mir replied. _Whenever you're ready, you just call me!_

"You'll be okay right?"

_Of course! Don't worry about me!_ Mir exclaimed, puffing up confidently and snorting, releasing a small cloud of smoke from his nostrils.

Evan nodded and they continued on their way as Mir parted from their side and traipsed over to a copse of trees.

As they got closer and closer to the house, Evan started to grow more and more nervous.

Now that he thought about it, he has been away from home for an awfully long time without telling his mom and dad. He hadn't even told them he was going did he? He'd just been so caught up with everything that they just never came into mind and he felt a sinking sense of shame and guilt.

How would they react when they see their wayward son returning home? They were going to be so angry with him for worrying them…

He remembered a conversation he had with his dad in what felt like forever ago about how he would get an Adventurer to kill Mir if he was a dragon because dragons were dangerous.

What if his dad wanted to kill Mir for being the reason why he had strayed away in the first place? But Mir didn't mean to! He just wanted to help! And he wasn't dangerous! He was his friend! His dad wouldn't kill his friend would he?

Suddenly returning home didn't seem like the brightest idea but he couldn't turn back now. He had to tell his parents about this eventually and he might as well do it now and get it over with since he was already here after giving Sir Phantom so much trouble.

A quick glance towards the man confirmed that he was still displeased over this whole incident. He'll make it up to him by being extra studious with Mir.

They could make out more details about the house now and the trees had receded until only an occasional cluster dotted the pasture it was located in.

To the left, a figure emerged from around the corner the house, carrying a few bags of chicken feed in his arms and whistling a merry tune while he made his way over to the henhouse beside their home.

"Utah?" Evan called timidly.

Utah stopped, looking towards Evan upon hearing his name and his jaw immediately dropped, wide eyes staring at him as slack arms dropped the bags he held.

"Holy heavens above," he whispered disbelievingly. "Evan, is that you?"

Evan nodded jerkily and he only managed to offer a tentative smile before Utah was bearing down on him and giving him a bone-crushing hug, lifting him slightly off the ground as he did so.

"Oh my goddesses! Evan! You've come home! You've really come home! Where were you? Mom and dad—Oh geez! MOM! DAD! IT'S EVAN! EVAN'S COME HOME!" Utah hollered behind him.

The front door of the house immediately banged open and a woman with brown tresses up in a loose bun wearing an orange apron over a white dress rushed onto the front porch.

"Evan?" she asked frantically, wildly searching for her youngest son. As soon as she spotted him, her features lit up like the brightest lantern in the world with ecstatic joy and she instantly rushed over, smothering Evan in her own embrace.

"Oh Evan! You're back! Oh you're back! Where have you been? I thought you were kidnapped and your father and I searched absolutely _everywhere _for _weeks_ but we couldn't find you! We were so worried!" she sobbed, holding her son in a tight grip that promised to never let go. "I thought you were gone for good! Oh Evan! Oh my baby is home safe! Thank the goddesses! Thank the goddesses!"

"What's all the yelling? What's happening?" Gustav called, running in from behind the house where he had been tending to the animals.

"Evan's back dear!" Anna called back, still clutching her son close to her bosom.

Gustav stared at Evan in shock, a look of pure relief sweeping over his face as he quickly made his way over to his wife and enveloping his son in yet another hug. "Evan! Are you okay? Where were you? Your mother and I have been worrying nonstop for days! What happened? Did someone take you? Were you injured? No one knew where you disappeared off to!"

"I'm sorry for worrying you mom, dad," Evan apologized through the hard lump in his throat, voice teary and eyes starting to fill.

"Hey what about me squirt? Your big brother's been worried too y'know. Disappearing like that alluva sudden doing a simple errand. I have a weak heart you know so don't go scaring me like that," Utah joked a bit feebly, ruffling Evan's dark chocolate locks affectionately.

Evan offered him a weak smile. "Sorry for worrying you too, Utah."

Eventually, the charged emotions winded down and Anna and Gustav pulled back and looked sternly down at their son.

"You have a lot of explaining to do young man," Anna said firmly and Evan dropped his gaze to the ground.

"Yes mom," he mumbled, scuffing the dirt underneath his shoes.

Anna's eyes softened and she lifted his chin with a hand. "But we'll do that inside over a nice tall glass of milk and some pie. How about that?"

Evan smiled. "Okay."

Phantom thought that would be his cue and he turned to leave when he heard Anna call after him.

"Oh? Mr. Fancy-Pants Gentleman too good to stay with us?" she asked good-naturedly, amused.

Phantom whirled back around and spluttered, "No, madam I—"

Anna chuckled. "I was just teasing dear." Then in a more serious tone said, "You brought our little boy back home and for that we can't thank you enough. The least we can do for you is to show you our hospitality and allow you into our home."

Phantom put on his charming mask and said, "I do thank you madam. Your wonderful thoughtfulness is most gracious but I'm afraid I'm simply here to bring young Evan back and nothing more. I would hate to intrude upon your reunion with your son and I'm sure you have a lot to catch up on with him."

Anna seemed taken to this well-mannered gentleman but nonetheless she persisted.

"Nonsense dear," Anna said, brushing him off. "I'm sure you can spend at least an hour with us for lunch."

"Yeah!" Evan cheered, popping up into their conversation. "Mom's food is the best! You've got to try it! Please?"

Considering how his three square meals a day consisted of nothing less than gourmet food, he doubted this would be the best food he would ever taste. The boy has eaten it so he would know. But before he could decline a second time, Gustav interjected.

"It's no trouble at all. As my wife said, this is the least we can do to pay you back for bringing back our son. What's your name? I want to spread word of your good deed to the rest of Henesys."

Phantom smiled a tad uncomfortably at that, almost laughing outright at the irony. Whoever heard of a thief who did good deeds? His reputation would be in tatters. Good deed indeed!

"I am known as Phantom. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, sir and madam," Phantom greeted pleasantly.

"Phantom eh? Unusual name you got there. The pleasure's all ours. I am Gustav and this is Anna and Utah, our oldest son. I'm sure you already know Evan here," Gustav introduced, gesturing to each person in kind.

"Hello sir," Utah said politely. "It's good to meet you."

"Likewise."

"All right enough of this standing around out here. Let's go inside where we can get some food into our stomachs. Come on, move along now," Anna ushered, shooing her family in the direction of the house and even Phantom was herded in with the rest before any more protests could leave his mouth.

The interior of the house was warm. A fire crackled merrily in its fireplace to the right of the room, its mantel top cluttered with framed pictures of the family, some of which hung on the stone chimney protruding upwards through the house. A comfy red and orange tartan-patterned couch along with an armchair sat facing the fireplace and a half-set large round table that Anna had obviously been preparing before she heard Utah's calls sat close to one of the two wide, open windows shedding ample sunlight into the room. A grandfather clock stood in a corner counting the time away with merry ticks beside a large glass cabinet displaying some fine china. A simple wooden staircase wound up to the second floor at the back of the room next to a circular archway beyond which sat a kitchen.

The house had a rather homey feel to it with its welcoming warmth; its charming, old-fashioned feel; the bright, carefully-placed decorations and mementos; and the pervasive smell of homemade food wafting throughout the room.

"You all just sit right down and I'll be out in a minute with our lunch," Anna said, bustling into the kitchen.

"I'll help you mom," Utah offered, following her in.

The rest of the family took their seats on wooden chairs and Phantom awkwardly moved to take a seat too.

Despite the whole-hearted welcome and hospitality, he couldn't help but feel out-of-place and at a loss as to how to act after all, these people were still complete strangers to him and their overeager friendliness only served to make him warier. What does one usually do when a well-meaning family forces you to lunch with them against your will?

"Those are some nice clothes, Evan. Did Mr. Phantom give those to you?" Gustav asked, eyeing the pricey red material of Evan's outfit.

"Oh, yeah. He um… also gave me a place to stay and food," the boy admitted, squirming in his seat.

Gustav broke into a broad smile. "Well, you better make sure to show your appreciation to him!" He turned to Phantom. "It seems we will always be in your debt for your kindness."

Phantom waved him off, smiling modestly. "It's simply a matter of my duty towards him as my temporary charge."

"How noble of you!" Gustav exclaimed.

"Grub's here!" Utah announced, walking in with a large bowl of soup in his hands followed by Anna, who carried a tray upon which sat some sandwiches and two extra sets of plates, bowls, silverware, and glasses.

"Now don't be shy and help yourself to as much food as you want," Anna told Phantom as she set the dinnerware in front of him just as Utah placed the soup down and walked back into the kitchen to bring in the rest of their meal. "There's plenty more where that came from! But make sure to save some room for the pie at the end."

"Ah, thank you madam," Phantom said a bit weakly.

Anna waved a hand as though to brush aside a fly. "Oh don't give me that. Just call me Anna. I won't mind."

"Anna then," Phantom corrected, feeling more uncomfortable than ever at the sphere of familiarity he was suddenly thrust into.

Utah returned with a glass pitcher of milk and a bowl of salad. "Let's get eating!" he said happily, plopping himself down on a chair.

Anna also took her seat and without much more ado, everyone started to load food onto their plates, the pitcher of milk passed around to fill empty glasses.

Phantom eyed the simple fare in front of him.

It wasn't that he disdained it, although he was used to gourmet food by now, rather it was simply the fact that he had never really had these kinds of food before.

Sure he had eaten soup and salad before but they were high-end foods made from premium ingredients prepared by a professional five star chef, much different from the simple fare made by an ordinary woman he was provided with now and he had certainly never eaten ordinarily prepared food during those many, many years ago as a child…

"Go on dear don't be shy," Anna encouraged, loading his plate with some sandwiches and salad.

Phantom blinked. "Uh…"

"And you Evan! You look so thin! I'm sure Mr. Phantom has been feeding you but you still look way too thin! You're a growing boy, Evan! You need to eat more," Anna exclaimed as she heaped some food onto his plate too.

A faint noise of weak protestation left Evan's mouth but Anna didn't seem to hear it or rather, _wouldn't_ hear of it.

Was this how mothers usually were? They seemed kind of… overbearing.

Nonetheless Phantom ate what was in front of him and even helped himself to some of the soup. One did not waste food, a lesson that was firmly rooted into his very soul by now.

When everyone was relatively satisfied, the leftovers were cleared to make room for the pie.

Anna hummed cheerfully as she retrieved the dessert and cut it in equal portions of eight, distributing a slice to each person's plate.

Evan's face in particular lit up considerably when a slice was placed in front of him.

"Thanks mom," he said gratefully.

"You're welcome sweetie," Anna replied warmly.

He picked up his fork and popped a piece into his mouth.

The heady flavor of sweetened apple immediately flooded his senses and emotion suddenly overwhelmed him.

He remembered this taste, eating this pie while he spent lazy afternoons sat beside Utah on the front steps of the porch gazing out towards the surrounding fields and forests with nothing but the fresh scent of earth in the air, the feel of the warm sun on his skin, the sound of twittering birds, the burbling of the stream, and the taste of this apple pie on his tongue. And it suddenly hit him like a sledgehammer just how much he had missed home.

"Wow… It's been so long since I've eaten mom's homemade pie that I've forgotten how good it tasted," Evan choked, tears gathering in his eyes.

Anna and Gustav exchanged soft glances before redirecting their attention towards their son.

"Would you like to tell us what happened, Evan?" Gustav prodded gently.

Evan swiped an arm across his eyes and nodded, taking a few more moments to order the dizzying amount of emotions and thoughts darting hectically through his head before beginning.

"It's kind of a long story and uh…"

It suddenly struck him that he would have to introduce Mir some time during his dialogue before any of what he was about to say would make sense.

Evan gulped, anxious about how his parents would react to knowing he had been travelling around with a dragon by himself for the past several weeks.

He glanced helplessly towards Phantom who heaved small inaudible sigh but nonetheless complied to his silent plea for a push.

"If I may start off since Evan here doesn't seem to know where to begin," Phantom cut in, "He has been travelling for several weeks under the wish to do benevolent deeds for people whilst he helped a rather unusual friend discover his origins. From the way I understood it, it was thanks to the protection of this friend that he has remained safe while travelling."'

"An unusual friend?" Anna prompted.

Evan took the opportunity to explain further. "Yeah actually, he's more than just a friend. He's sorta like… I dunno a half of my soul and uh," he floundered for a bit before rushing through his next sentence. "He'sadragon."

Gustav's brows rose up to his hairline in surprise. "A dragon you say? You don't happen to mean that lizard you showed me all those weeks ago do you?"

Evan nodded miserably, looking more and more apprehensive. "He's not a bad dragon really he's really nice and he's my best friend and everything and I dunno how I could've been able to go on without him I mean he likes helping people and he's nothing like those dangerous dragons that burn down towns or eat people he would never do something like that and he's helped me so much and—"

"Evan, sweetie, calm down," Anna soothed. "We aren't going to judge you just yet without hearing the full story."

Evan slumped visibly in his chair in relief. "Okay."

"Wait, wait, wait hold up," Utah interrupted, holding up a hand and effectively pausing the conversation before it could continue. "A _dragon?_ Really? Mom and dad might buy that but you expect me to believe something like that?"

"Well it's true. Mir's the reason why I left in the first place," Evan said defensively.

"Yeah okay short stuff," Utah said dismissively. "Are you sure you didn't just leave town because you were chasing a frog or something and got lost?"

Evan bristled. "Shut up Utah! I'm not some stupid little kid!"

"Boys! No fighting in front of a guest!" Anna scolded over their loud argument. "Utah, let Evan explain first and Evan, please continue."

"But mom! You can't honestly just believe what he said just 'cause dad saw him with a lizard! How do we know he didn't disappear because he just was being stupid and just wanted an excuse to get outta trouble?" Utah protested.

Ah, this boy was a mite smarter than he looked.

"It's not an excuse! And I can prove it!"

Phantom decided this would be a good time to intervene before Evan went through with his rash declaration. It would do no good to introduce Mir so abruptly lest he scare these people who were grossly unprepared for him.

Clearing his throat to get everyone's attention, he said calmly, "I would like to provide my confirmation that Evan does, indeed, have a dragon."

Silence reigned over the room at Phantom's assertion and he let it draw out to allow the information time to sink in.

He continued. "If you would like, perhaps you could meet the dragon after all, he is a central part of Evan's story without which it would make no sense. It would be best to dispel any skepticism now in case it leads to confusion and doubt later on. He is a rare species, one of the last of his kind actually, but I can assure you that he is quite intelligent and perfectly harmless."

There was a moment of hesitation as the family members glanced at each other.

"Please? I promise he won't hurt you guys. Just trust me?" Evan pleaded, looking imploringly at each of his parents and brother.

"Well, I suppose we could give it a shot," Gustav finally said.

"Alright then Evan."

"This I would love to see."

Evan's face brightened with a smile. "Let's go outside then."

The rest of the table followed, looking slightly anxious yet curious at possibly meeting a dragon.

Evan led the small group out on the porch but before he could call for Mir, Phantom walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. Once the man had his attention, he said quietly, "I suggest you tell Mir to fly in slowly and land a little distance away. They're prepared but they're wary."

Evan nodded in agreement and proceeded to call Mir through their mental connection along with instructions for his arrival.

Not a few minutes later, a dark shape flew up from the forest in front of them and glided towards them, gradually growing bigger and more distinct as Mir drew closer.

Phantom could tell that the people behind him were astonished at the sight and a bit uneasy at the dragon's growing bulk and shrinking proximity but otherwise, they stood their ground and watched as Mir finally touched down gently on the other side of the wooden bridge.

Evan ran up to Mir and hugged him around the neck before turning towards his parents and brother.

"Mom, dad, Utah, this is Mir, my friend."

_Hello!_ Mir greeted, blinking large eyes at his master's family standing a distance away. _It's nice to meet you!_

"Come on, Mir won't hurt you," Evan encouraged, beckoning the others with one hand. "I promise."

_Yeah, _Mir agreed_. It's nice to finally meet my master's family._

Phantom took the initiative and strode forward. The rest of the family hesitated for a moment longer before following behind him.

"Here, pat him on the head," Evan urged.

_I won't bite_, Mir promised, lowering his head docilely and peering at each family member in kind with eager eyes.

It was Utah who stepped up first and bravely placed a hand on top of the dragon's head.

Mir purred happily, a low, contented rumble from deep within his throat, and nuzzled the hand, causing Utah to smile broadly. "Wow."

"Evan, where on earth did you find something like a dragon on our farm?" Gustav asked, gazing at the large creature in awe as though not quite believing what he was seeing.

Mir and Evan exchanged glances. "Well…"

And Evan recounted his entire journey with Mir, his partner adding in details as he went along, starting from his dreams and ending with how Phantom found him although he was extra careful not to mention how close to strangling him the thief was when he first met him.

At the end of his story, Evan concluded by saying, "What I did was wrong and I know that now and I won't ever do it again so please don't get mad at me."

"But son, why didn't you simply write us a letter to let us know where you were at the moment and what you were doing or at least to let us know you were safe?" Gustav asked.

Evan flushed. "Oh… I haven't thought of that…"

Phantom sighed softly, resisting the urge to massage his forehead.

So he hadn't even thought ahead enough to alert his own family about his whereabouts as he ran around brainlessly halfway across the world nor did he think enough to at least drop by sometime during his journey before he _destroyed his carpet!_

Anna shook her head slowly. "Evan, you were foolish for leaving town with a dragon without our knowledge, being thoughtless with strangers, and wandering through a monster-infested world by yourself! You are smarter than that young man but you chose to waste your smarts by doing something so reckless and dangerous! What baffles me most is why you didn't come to us first before you decided to do this!"

Evan dipped his head miserably, feeling his eyes burn with tears.

If there was one thing he was most fearful of, it wasn't the countless monsters he had encountered during his journey or the treacherous terrain he had trekked through or even Hiver and the Black Wings. No. The one thing in the world he was most afraid of more than anything else was disappointing his parents. Nothing in the whole wide world could ever feel as bad as letting his mom and dad down when they cared so much about him.

"But dad said he'd kill Mir if he was a dragon," he mumbled tearfully.

"Yes, I do vaguely remember saying that," Gustav mused. "And I regret not having heard you out first but it doesn't justify leaving town like that."

Anna knelt down and gently took his face in his hands, lifting it up so he could look into the soft caramel-brown eyes of his mother. "Sweetie, we're not angry at you because you wanted to help people. That's something good and admirable. What we're angry about is why you would put yourself in such danger like this and not tell us what you were doing. You know you can talk to us about anything, don't you?"

"Yes'm," Evan replied, voice wobbly with tears as he swiped a hand across his eyes. "M'sorry. M'really, really sorry."

Anna sighed, her heart aching at seeing her son look so miserable and she looked up at Gustav who quietly cleared his throat to direct his son's attention towards him. "Son, we're both just relieved that you've come home safe and sound. Nothing is more important than that. We're a bit disappointed but we forgive you because you had good intentions and because we believe you'll never make the same mistake again but we can't let this go unpunished. You still did something wrong and we can't look past that so starting tomorrow, you'll have double the chores around the farm for the next five days. Does that sound fair?" Gustav meted out firmly.

"Yes dad," Evan mumbled.

Gustav smiled and ruffled his son's hair. "Now cheer up son. Everyone makes mistakes. We don't love you any less because you made one. You just have to learn from it is all."

"That's right sweetie," Anna coaxed, wiping the tears from Evan's eyes. "Now give us a smile."

Evan sniffed and managed to give her a small, hesitant one which Anna returned with a beam. "There we go! Now why don't we go back inside to finish off that pie? Does that sound good?"

Evan nodded and Anna stood and steered him back inside by the shoulders.

Utah sighed, looking after them as he continued mindlessly petting Mir's head resting on the ground where he could reach better. "Man, I wish I was let off that easy half the time," he grumbled but no ill humor tinged his tone.

Gustav shot him an amused look. "Well son, if you had run off with strangers at your age, I'd be a little worried," he chuckled.

"Ugh very funny dad," he groaned, rolling his eyes. "But we all know Evan's the favorite around here."

Gustav frowned. "Now son, you know that's not true."

Utah gave a pacifying gesture and said breezily, "Yeah I know, I know. I care for the little tyke too… even if he's a brat who likes to torture his dear older brother. No respect," he grumbled under his breath.

Gustav chuckled and gave a firm pat on Utah's shoulder before making his way back inside the house, leaving Mir, Phantom, and Utah outside.

Utah sighed again and turned to Phantom with a grin. "Sorry you had to see that. I was nearly gagging at the end too but nothing like a good ol' family drama to start things up," he joked, shrugging. "Why don't we head back inside before they decide to drag us back? You really don't want to underestimate the power of mom's ear-pulling."

Phantom chuckled. "Why not? There's no use dallying out here anyway."

"Okay but uh is he," Utah gestured towards Mir who simply watched him with one lazy yellow eye, "going to be alright out here?"

_I'll be fine,_ Mir replied, yawning and making Utah jump at the unexpected voice and the rows of teeth suddenly presented to him. _I think I'm just going to take a nap now._

"Oh uh sure I guess," he said a bit nervously and quickly set off towards the house with Phantom following behind him amusedly.

After dessert was finished and cleared, Gustav and Utah went back to work while Anna busied herself with the household chores, charging Evan with the task of entertaining their guest and giving him a tour around the farm.

Frankly, Phantom didn't particularly care much for wandering around looking at animals. It all seemed awfully drab to him but he held his tongue because he was under their hospitality after all and they had been nothing but courteous to him if not a bit overeager so he allowed Evan to guide him around.

They walked around a little as Evan showed him the henhouse, the pig pens, the barn, a field full of crops, and he had just led him to the fenced-in area where some cows were grazing in a wide open pasture when he stopped and climbed on top of the simple wooden fence and sat down, peering at Phantom with a somewhat sheepish smile on his face.

"I know this is probably boring to you sir," Evan said apologetically. "Sorry that my family forced you to stay like that. I know you were probably busy."

Phantom sighed and scanned the area disinterestedly. "It's quite alright. I understand that your parents were simply grateful to me for bringing you back to them and all things considered, they are good people."

Evan grinned wide. "They are aren't they? So are you going to leave after this?"

"Probably. We'll see."

Evan nodded and kicked his legs, humming a bit to himself as he did so and at that moment, Phantom thought he looked remarkably like the child he was instead of the slightly harried-looking boy charged with the task of learning everything he needed to learn residing in his ship. While he always knew Evan was just a boy, he had always treated him as an adult which might have been what lent to his frustrations at times with Evan since he was expecting maturity from a child. This was the first time he's seeing him through an entirely different lens. Against the simple backdrop of the pasture and the humble farm behind him, Evan's rather grandiose clothing caused him to stand out, making his childlike actions and his youth all the more apparent and somehow blaringly inconsistent to Phantom.

"I'm going to have to tell them won't I?" Evan asked quietly, snapping Phantom from his inner musing.

He frowned, immediately catching on to what he was talking about. "Well yes I would think so. This isn't exactly something you could keep from your family, Evan."

"When should I tell them then?"

"Any time you wish. You have a whole week to do so but I'd advise you to do it sooner rather than later."

Evan nodded again, falling silent and staring down at the dirt path beneath his feet before speaking again. "I'm actually… kinda scared sir," he admitted softly. "I mean, how am I supposed to tell this to my folks and Utah? How'll they react? Will they keep me from fighting if they found out? I'm… scared of fighting the Black Mage but… but…" His grip on the wooden planks tightened and he swallowed before continuing. "I know… I have to do this… 'Cause I'm the only one who can."

Phantom let out a breath.

Comforting was really not his forte, especially if it concerned someone else but he'll need to try for this one. He could partly understand why Evan was coming to him with this. Being his sort-of mentor and the one who knew the full circumstance that surrounded him as well as being the closest to him in regards to the situation of the Black Mage, it's really no wonder Evan decided to speak to him about this.

"Look here, Evan," Phantom began, making sure Evan's wide light-blue eyes were trained on him before continuing. "I understand you're scared, which is perfectly normal, and you can think about every possible reaction they will have at the news until you're blue in the face but the fact remains that you'll still need to tell them the truth. There's little sense in worrying about how they'll respond in light of that fact and you'll simply have to adjust according to the situation."

"But what if they don't want me to go?" Evan asked fearfully. "How can I just tell them no? It's hard to explain it but… I… I feel like this is something that I should do even though it's dangerous and I'm… I'm kinda scared but if they don't want me to…" he trailed off, gesturing vaguely in a weak attempt to illustrate his point.

That would be a problem wouldn't it? While Evan was still young, he had immense potential unlike any others in the world. He could grow to be a truly talented mage, one they needed in order to defeat the Black Mage. No one else in the entirety of Maple World could possibly take his spot.

At the same time, glancing down at Evan hunched over in his seat and gripping the fence so hard his knuckles turned white, Phantom noticed just how small he was.

Evan was but a mere child, naturally terrified of the immense expectations mounted on him and the impeding future held before him, especially since it involved going up against the most powerful and ruthless tyrant in the history of Maple World. Even he had some doubts sometimes as to his own abilities to go up against such a monster let alone a child such as Evan. They had barely defeated the Black Mage last time and this time, they were short one experienced member to be replaced with a young novice who probably wouldn't have the same amount of time to catch up to the level of his predecessor. The chances that he'll be killed in the battle were uncomfortably high.

So, it came down to two choices: Either Evan stays home or he continues his journey, neither of which, admittedly, seemed very appealing.

"Sir?" Evan prodded gently, staring up at him as Phantom contemplated the dilemma that had suddenly arisen.

Looking over at Evan once again, he offered him a winning smile. "If you have such fears, how about I accompany you when you tell your family? I suppose I'll have to give them a proper introduction of who I really am anyway," he sighed. Even if they have probably never heard of him before if the wretched Black Wings had done a thorough job of destroying every history book in Maple World. But even so, Evan's family was now involved in this chaos, however indirectly. They had a right to know everything. He'll have to remember to send a note to Gaston via messenger raven about his unexpected overnight stay.

Evan's face immediately brightened with both relief and joy, seeming to make his eyes sparkle in the noonday sun. "Really?" he asked excitedly, leaning forward eagerly on the fence.

"No Evan, I was lying," Phantom said humorously, somewhat amused by the reaction.

Evan huffed and leaned back again, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well I sure hope not because you already promised."

Phantom chuckled. "That I did."

Evan jumped down from the fence and pointed a thumb behind him. "Wanna go see what dad and Utah are up to?"

Phantom shrugged. "I suppose. We don't have anything better to do anyway."

"There're a lot of things to do out here! I just don't think you'll like a lot of them," Evan mumbled as he led Phantom down the dirt road that ran along the length of the fence.

They found Gustav squatting down in the back of one of the storage sheds near the stables where the cows were kept, rummaging through a few crates that sat there. All around him were various tools, equipment, and boxes typical of ordinary farms.

"Hey dad. What're you doing?" Evan asked, curiously, peeking over his shoulder.

"Oh Evan," Gustav greeted, looking up from his search. "And Phantom too! What brings you two around here?"

"Well we," Evan explained, gesturing towards Phantom and himself, "finished going around the farm so we decided to drop by and see what everyone else was up to."

"Ah, I see," Gustav hummed, standing back up.

"So what're you doing?"

Gustav sighed, scratching the head of jet black hair underneath his brown apple cap. "Oh, I'm just looking for the extra salt blocks. I can't seem to find them anywhere."

"The salt blocks?" Evan repeated, raising a brow. "Aren't they at the back of the stables? I mean I don't know if they're there anymore but I remember Utah moving them a while back."

Gustav scratched his chin. "Oh yes I do vaguely remember him telling me about that." He sighed and shook his head. "Your father's growing old, Evan. He's losing his memory already."

"Well good thing we're here to remind you of stuff," Evan said, grinning and tapping a finger against the side of his head.

Gustav smiled and ruffled his son's hair before turning to Phantom. "So how're you liking the farm so far?"

Phantom gave him a pleasant smile and replied, "It's very scenic and peaceful."

"It is isn't it? You'll never find this kind of peace and contentment in cities," Gustav sighed. "Live out here long enough and you really start to learn to appreciate the little things in life."

"Dad's big on nature," Evan explained to Phantom as they followed Gustav towards the stables.

"You got that right. Born and raised out here. This farm belonged to my father and my father's father. It's been through the generations and I could not be more proud of it and all the lessons it taught me that you can't learn in books."

Phantom nodded. "I see. I suppose it lends simpler perspectives on life."

And he supposed that's where Evan got his naiveté from, being so closed off from reality way out here.

Just as they reached the entrance to the stables, they spotted Utah running up to them, looking a bit out of breath from having to run the vast expanse of the farm, black hair disheveled from his mad dash.

"Hey what's the rush there son?"

Utah bent over and held up a hand as a signal for them to wait as he caught his breath before finally straightening up again and saying, "Damn foxes got into the henhouse again!"

"Utah, language," Gustav reprimanded disapprovingly to which Utah uttered a quick, "Sorry."

"Really? Why didn't you do anything Utah?" Evan asked.

"'Cause… there's too many of 'em," Utah replied, shifting slightly in his spot.

"Are you sure it's not 'cause you're chicken? Good thing the foxes didn't take you too," Evan snickered.

_Oh, Evan can have quite the mouth there,_ Phantom thought amusedly.

Utah shot him a sour look. "You little brat! Show some respect to your older brother!"

Evan simply rolled his eyes. "You need help with them?"

Utah nodded. "Yeah that'd be good. C'mon let's go before they steal all of our chickens away!"

And with that, he turned and dashed back in the direction of the henhouse with Evan close behind, waving at Gustav as he ran. "See ya later dad!"

Gustav waved back and turned towards Phantom but to his surprise, found that he had disappeared. Looking around and scratching his head in confusion, he decided that he must have followed after Evan and went into the stables to continue his work.

When they arrived at the henhouse, the site was a scene of chaos with a wide, gaping hole in the wire fence, feathers flying everywhere, straw from nests littering the ground, and chickens and foxes alike running haywire around the space.

Evan summoned his wand into his hand and started to incinerate whatever foxes he could, causing them to drop their burlap sacks and freeing the chickens they had caught but now that they were suddenly faced with this new danger, the foxes that Evan hadn't managed to get all quickly fled out the hole and into the sparse forest beyond.

Evan growled in frustration and was about to teleport after them when a sharp whistle from the roof of the henhouse caught his and Utah's attention and they both looked up to see a smug-looking Phantom holding up the rest of the sacks the foxes had with them.

He jumped down and released the chickens inside before carelessly tossing away the now empty sacks somewhere in the enclosure.

Evan grinned up at the thief. "Thank you sir!"

"Wow thanks mister. How'd you manage to do that?" Utah asked wonderingly, looking somewhat admiringly up at the man.

Phantom smiled enigmatically, enjoying the awe that was directed towards him, and simply replied, "It's no big feat for someone like me."

Utah shook his head, muttering something under his breath as he walked over to examine the hole and immediately scowled. "At this rate our whole farm budget's going to go on these fences alone and they don't even do squat because those stupid things keep breaking in anyway!"

"Maybe I can do something about it," Evan offered, walking up to Utah.

Utah paused and looked up at his younger brother, regarding him from where he kneeled on the ground and Evan shifted slightly under his stare. "What?"

Utah shook himself out of it. "Naw it's nothing. Guess I'm just not used to seeing you like that," he explained, scratching the back of his head before gesturing towards the hole. "So what're you going to do?"

"I thought I could use magic to make a barrier. That way there's no way foxes could get in."

Utah nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Hope you know what you're doing though."

Evan huffed. "Course I do." He would like to think he at least knew how to make something as simple as a barrier by now.

He held up his wand, the sphere of blue at its end lighting up with his magic before a translucent blue sheen like that of a soap bubble surrounded the enclosure, blinking once before disappearing and Evan lowered his wand, satisfied. It's not the strongest but it should be enough to keep away those pesky old foxes.

"There. That should do it," Evan proclaimed somewhat proudly.

Utah simply raised a skeptical brow. "Really?"

"Why don't you just try it out?"

Utah turned back to the hole and attempted to put his hand through it only to be met with resistance, the air where his fingers would have otherwise penetrated rippling like water.

"Oooh. Cool."

"See? Told you so."

Utah sighed. "Fine you got me this time squirt."

"And the last time with Mir," Evan reminded smugly.

Utah scowled. "Fine that time too," he grumbled. He stood and turned to survey the mess behind him and groaned. "Now I'm gonna have to clean all this up!"

"Want help?'

"Thought you'd never ask squirt. Here." Utah tossed a broom over at Evan, who caught the handle with a somewhat grumpy expression on his face.

"You were gonna make me help you out anyway weren't you?" he asked but nonetheless immediately began to clear the pen anyway.

"Hey, isn't it the job of the younger sibling to help out their elders?" Utah shot back, sweeping another part of the enclosure.

Phantom watched the interaction with interest where he stood leaning against the wire fence to the side, unnoticed.

It was entertaining watching Evan and Utah together. Somehow, the way they acted around each other seemed so… novel to him yet not at the same time. They were brothers weren't they? Yet they acted remarkably like… ordinary friends. He didn't know what behavior to expect between siblings but he was under the notion that the younger was supposed to obey the older, like his maids on the Lumiere. But Evan didn't seem to be inclined to do anything he didn't want to even if Utah ordered him to do so and although Utah may push Evan around, it wasn't with the intention of forcing him into anything. It was just… interesting. Maybe it had to do with how friend-like their interaction was, reminding him somewhat of some of the bantering he himself often participated in.

Chicken coop cleaned and set back to the way it was before and with the rest of the day's chores done, Utah went to clean himself up before dinner, leaving Phantom and Evan alone with each other once again.

"Well, I guess it's almost time for dinner," Evan commented, glancing up towards the setting sun. "Wanna come in now? Mom might even let us taste test some of her cooking!"

"Why not?"

"Then let's go!"

The moment they walked in, they were immediately assaulted with a thick warmness, the air heady with the delicious smells of dinner. The house was lit up in a welcoming yellow light and from the kitchen was the sound of cooking and cheerful humming as Anna worked on the evening meal for her family.

"Hey mom! That smells awesome! What're we having for dinner?" Evan asked, coming into the kitchen and taking a deep waft of the aromatic smell in the air.

Anna turned towards the kitchen's two newest occupants and gave a warm smile. "Hello sweetie. Hello Phantom. How nice of you to drop by! I'm making chicken casserole, green beans, mashed potato with gravy, mac and cheese, and beef stew for tonight."

Evan brightened at the menu. "I love mac and cheese! But I love anything you make anyway, mom."

"Thank you sweetie. What about you Phantom?" she asked, turning towards her guest. "I didn't know what you might like so I decided to go for a bit of a variety today. Any favorites in particular? Don't be shy and speak up. I really don't mind. Cooking is one of my hobbies."

Phantom smiled charmingly. "Such consideration on my behalf from as wonderful and pleasant a woman as yourself truly fills me with happiness but I'm afraid I don't have anything in particular that I like or rather, anything that the madam makes me with her own two hands would never be something I would _dis_like."

Anna shook her head and laughed, the sound filling the warm atmosphere nicely. "Is that so now? Well in that case, thank you for your kind compliments!"

"Mom what about dessert?" Evan asked eagerly, almost bouncing on his feet.

"That's a surprise," Anna replied, winking at her son.

"Oh. Then can we try a bit of the mac and cheese?" he pleaded, directing large, blue eyes at his mother.

"Mm-mm. I'm afraid not. It's almost time for dinner anyway. Now put away those puppy eyes and wait."

"Aw," Evan groaned.

"It might work on your father but I've raised you practically from diapers. Don't think I can't resist that look by now."

"M-mom!" Evan squeaked, turning red with embarrassment and risking a peek towards Phantom who had a huge grin spread across his face, looking as though he was trying not to laugh and Evan turned a few shades redder.

Anna chuckled, smiling somewhat mischievously before turning back to the stove, lifting the lid of one of the pots and stirring its contents. "Are you staying for the night dear?"

"It would seem like I would have to intrude on you I'm afraid," Phantom replied because it wasn't likely Evan was going to come out with the news just yet, especially since it's only the first day and the family had already been introduced to enough surprising information for the day.

"Oh it's no problem at all! You're more than welcome to stay here as long as you want to. Evan, maybe you can show Phantom where the rooms are," Anna suggested. "Dinner will be ready in a moment. Make sure you two wash up."

"Okay. Come on! I'll show you where everything is," Evan said, beckoning for Phantom to follow.

They moved towards the stairs and up to the second floor of the house where he was greeted by a brightly lit hallway. To his left were two shelves of books nestled neatly into an indent in the wall facing the stairway they had just climbed up along with two doors before the hall widened for the stairs that led to a third floor. To his right were four more doors before the hall widened once again to make room for some sort of lounge area where he caught a glimpse of a red and orange tartan-patterned couch similar to the one downstairs with a window above it as well as the chimney wall making its way up through the house.

"That," Evan said, pointing to the first door on his left, "is dad's study. It's where he deals with the farm's money and goods and stuff. The one next to it is my parents' room. That," he continued, now pointing to the first door on the right where the faint sounds of cascading water could be heard, "is the bathroom. It's going to be a bit rough in the mornings when everyone has to use it. There's another one downstairs but it doesn't have a shower." He pointed to the next door which was a lot thinner than the other three. "That's just the linen closet. That's Utah's room and the room next to his is the guest room where you'll be staying. I'll show you!"

He walked up to the last door on the right and opened it, clicking open the lights to reveal a rather modest-looking room. On the upper left corner sat a bed underneath one of two small windows, covers neatly made with a nightstand next to it holding a lamp and an antique clock. A rolltop desk and chair sat facing the bed on the lower left corner of the room beside which was a relatively large ancient-looking oak wardrobe. Pressed against the right wall of the room was a shelf filled with an assortment of colorful knickknacks along with two framed pictures of an orchard and a field of flowers underneath which sat a squat wooden dresser.

Not a speck of dust could be found anywhere, evidence that a careful hand had been cleaning it faithfully and the room would have been rather plain and maybe even a bit impersonal if it were not for the fact that someone had obviously taken pains to make it more homey and lively apparent in the yellow, orange, and red rug on the floor, the tasteful white curtains framing the windows, the vase of fresh flowers on the dresser, and the miscellaneous number of objects decorating any otherwise empty spaces.

"It's not bad," Phantom commented, eyes roving the room. He may be used to grandeur but that doesn't mean he couldn't appreciate the care put in this room and along with its own special aesthetics. "And where do you sleep Evan?"

"Me? My room's in the attic upstairs," Evan replied, pointing towards the stairs where Phantom could make out a skylight and a door in the shadows. "It's kinda small though 'cause it's more like a space put aside from storage but it's cozy anyway so I like it."

"Dinner is ready!" Anna announced from below. "Make sure to wash up!"

"Okay!" Evan called back. "Let's go use the bathroom downstairs."

They washed up and assembled at the dining table where a plethora of food was already waiting for them. Soon after, Utah, Anna, and eventually Gustav, joined them.

Dinner was an excitable affair full of loud conversations about the day, strange or funny things each member of the family had seen during the course of their time, a few more questions for Evan and Phantom, banter, and laughter.

Phantom still didn't know what to make of this group in front of him, sitting together around the dining table with not a care in the world but for the first time in perhaps his whole life, he was starting to get a sense of why people seemed so fixated on the idea of "family."


	2. Soul-Wrenching

Wow I thank you all for your support so far! It's been encouraging every time I see someone had favorited/followed/reviewed! Thank you! I will do my best not to let you all down!

Fun fact: This story was actually supposed to have been up after Freud's Theory but then new ideas and other stuff kept getting in the way then I went on my mad six-stories-in-a-month-and-a-half spree and yeah it just went from there. But it's up now at least. Better than never right? Heh...?

* * *

Phantom awoke the next morning to what sounded like squabbling out in the hallway.

He laid in the bed for a while longer, basking in its warmth before slowly sitting up and stretching with a yawn. He'd never really been a morning person and he blamed it on his… nocturnal habits for making him that way.

He climbed out of bed, opened the bedroom door, and poked his head through the doorway.

"—oesn't mean you get to go in first!"

"It's older brother's privilege. Besides, I have a lot of work to do today!"

"I have twice the work!"

Ah, so they were fighting over who gets to use the bathroom first.

Phantom smirked mischievously and gathered the clothes Anna had so thoughtfully prepared the day before, consisting of a plain white work shirt, a belt, and a pair of brown trousers. They were Gaston's old clothes (as were the sleepwear they had so generously lent to him) and although they were a bit big on him, they still fit well enough so he couldn't really complain.

Using a stealth that came with years of practice as a thief, he snuck into the bathroom and before either of the boys knew it, the door had already closed and locked shut behind them.

Phantom allowed the self-satisfied cat-got-the-cream smirk to settle on his face as he listened to the cries of surprise and then protest from beyond the door while he merrily began his morning rituals.

It always felt good to pull the wool over people's eyes.

He took his leisurely time brushing his teeth, showering, and grooming before finally exiting the bathroom, feeling refreshed. He turned and caught sight of Evan's sulky look as he approached him from the lounge for his turn.

"You did that on purpose didn't you?" he asked accusingly.

Phantom gave him his best innocent look and replied, "Pardon?"

Evan gave him one last withering look before trudging into the bathroom and closing the door with a somewhat forceful bang. Phantom laughed under his breath. He could now understand Utah's enjoyment in his apparent hobby of rile-up-Evan.

He wound his way downstairs where a heavenly aroma of breakfast food wafted up to see Anna bustling around preparing the breakfast table, humming merrily as she did so.

"Good morning madam," Phantom greeted pleasantly as he made his way towards her. "Would you like some help?"

Anna turned to him and smiled. "Oh no dear! You're the guest! You just sit right down. I'm almost done anyway."

"And where might your husband be?"

"Oh he went out to work already. There's a lot to do on the farm and we sometimes can't all sit together for breakfast or even lunch but we always make it up during dinner," she replied, sitting down on one of the chairs now that she was finished preparing. "But I always make sure he goes out with at least some food in his stomach!"

Phantom nodded and also sat down.

"So what do you do for a living if you don't mind me asking? You seem like a very successful young man!"

Phantom smiled. "I guess you can say that I run a sort of merchant business."

A merchant business that traded humbleness for a bit of the nobles' pocket change.

"Oh my! So young and yet already running your own business!" Anna exclaimed. "You must be very talented!"

Phantom's smile widened. "I suppose I would have to be."

Just then, Utah joined them at the table, looking somewhat grumpy, followed by Evan, who seemed to be in a much better mood.

"Morning mom and Sir Phantom," Evan said.

"G'morning," Utah echoed. He looked down at his brother. "Where's my good morning squirt?"

"You don't get any."

Utah grumbled and lifted a few pieces of toast onto his plate.

Phantom smiled into his glass of orange juice and started on his plate of scrambled eggs.

When breakfast was over, Anna worked on clearing the table while the group of three trooped onto the porch to begin the day whereby Utah turned to Evan and asked, "Hey, can you feed Bulldog?"

Phantom arched a brow incredulously at the name. "Bulldog? Did you name your bulldog Bulldog?"

Evan flushed. "I don't know! Mom and dad let me pick the name and I was smaller back then so I just… I dunno!"

Utah snickered. "Toldja it was a stupid name."

"Shut up Utah," Evan said weakly. "And besides, why do I have to feed him? Didn't you do that while I was gone?"

"Yeah and I'm sick of him trying to bite my hand off every time I bring him chow so you do it," Utah growled.

Evan shook his head, frowning. "Bulldog would never do that. He's nice and gentle."

Utah scowled. "Yeah to you."

"I can't believe you can't even handle Bulldog, the sweetest dog in the world," Evan declared, rolling his eyes.

Utah scoffed. "First of all, that terror is faaaar from being the sweetest dog in the world and second of all, I could so handle Bulldog."

"Oh yeah? Like the way you handled those foxes?" Evan shot back.

Utah flushed. "Hey! There was a lot of em all right? You can't blame me for lookin' for a lil help!"

"Oooooh does Camila know you're scared?"

Utah turned even redder as he spluttered out, "S-shut up! This has nothing to do with her!"

"Utah likes Camila! Camila! Camila!" Evan sang gleefully.

Utah made to go after him and Evan squealed, running away laughing to do his assigned chores.

"Argh little brothers are so obnoxious," he huffed, watching him go with hands on his hips. "Makes me wonder how I had ever even missed him in the first place."

Phantom cast an amused glance down at him.

Catching the look, Utah scowled and hastily tried to amend his previous statement by grumbling embarrassedly, "Getting his load of work on top of my own is such a pain."

"Of course," Phantom agreed indulgently.

"A-anyway." Utah cleared his throat and continued. "What are you going to do? I mean, I kind of doubt a guy like you would find a farm all the way out in the sticks very interesting or attractive for that matter. Actually, I'm kind of curious why you decided to stay and didn't book it out the moment the sun came up."

"Come now, do I really give such an impression of the holier than thou noble?"

"Er well..." Utah scratched his cheek and looked over Phantom. "Yesterday you kind of did with your fancy clothes n' all but now that you kind of look like us… maybe not as much anymore even though you still feel a bit different from us ordinary brown bags."

"I see. I'm not offended but I certainly have nothing against ordinary people on a farm or simply being on a farm for that matter."

It'd be hypocritical if he did after all those years witnessing and living with deprived people in conditions way harsher and dirtier than a farm. He may be a rich man now and he may even be considered to be among the ranks of the very echelon he hated most but he could certainly never look down on ordinary people or even the less fortunate. He had been there after all.

Utah nodded, looking satisfied. "Cool. But we still need to figure out what to do with you for the rest of the day I mean, I can't exactly let a guest by themselves but we all have work to do…"

Phantom shook his head. "I'll be fine on my own. I won't do anything disreputable here if that's what you're worried about."

Utah frowned slightly and shook his head. "Well no, that's not quite it. But if you're sure you're okay out here by yourself then knock yourself out. If you need anything, don't hesitate to find someone or give a holler. I'll see you later then."

With that, Utah turned and hastened away, leaving Phantom standing alone on the porch.

He sighed and contemplated his options.

There wasn't much to do out here in way of entertainment for him but he couldn't exactly hang around these people while they were working.

He stepped off the porch and shaded his eyes from the bright sunlight that immediately assaulted him.

It sure was a nice day.

The breeze was gentle, the sky was blue and wide, and the smell of rich earth unique only to that of the countryside wafted up with the mild wind.

Maybe he could just enjoy the beautiful day. He'll admit that it has been a while since he had taken a leisure stroll.

Making up his mind, he turned left and set down the dirt path with no particular destination in mind.

A few minutes later and he was well down the path with nothing but the peaceable chirping of birds and the rolling landscape as company.

It was actually rather nice, a change of pace from his usual motions in life but also a bit… lonely.

Frowning uncomfortably at the realization, he paused when he came upon someone crouching in front of some crates piled next to a bright red barn. Closer inspection revealed it to be… Evan.

He crept closer to the boy and with a wide grin on his face, greeted him with a simple, "Hello Evan."

"Whoa!" Evan yelped in surprise, nearly jolting into the box he had just put down. He swiveled towards the perpetrator, annoyance radiating from every aspect of his body and Phantom had the distinct feeling that this wouldn't be the first time something similar had happened.

When he caught sight of just who the guilty party was, his expression changed to that of surprised befuddlement as baby blue eyes blinked up at him before it soured into a slightly sulky one.

"Oh… Hello sir," he greeted in turn, standing and dusting off his hands. He glanced down at his handiwork before giving the man in front of him a quick albeit nervous smile and Phantom idly noted how much more natural Evan looked in his orange and red tartan-patterned shirt, denim shorts, and straw hat. He couldn't help but think that this ensemble suited him more than his rather extravagant red attire. It just suited Evan's simplicity.

"So uh…" Evan hesitated, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "I was thinking that I'd tell them tonight…"

Phantom nodded.

"But well… I know what you said about telling them as soon as possible but if I tell them now, they'll worry over me the whole week I'm going to be staying here."

"And would you prefer the alternative where you tell them in the middle of the week when they have been lulled into false comfort? Or perhaps you'd rather wait towards the end and deprive them of the time to reconcile with the fact? Either way, you will leave and nothing can change that. The only thing that can be changed is how you manage your family's grief."

"I guess if you put it that way…" Evan chewed his lip as he thought it over. "It… feels bad though…"

Phantom frowned slightly. "Some or even most things in life cannot be gained or accomplished without hurting others. To do anything without making _someone_ unhappy is impossible and unrealistic."

"Then did you ever have to make a decision like that?"

"Of course. Many times," Phantom replied almost automatically. "Realizing that the world doesn't operate by our standards of 'fairness' is the first step towards growing up. Having to make decisions that could adversely affect others is a part of everyday life and this would simply be the first of many times you must make decisions of such a nature."

Evan's gaze fell on his feet. "It's so hard…" He looked back up at Phantom again with imploring eyes. "How do you do it?"

Phantom shrugged. "I try to weigh out as many of the possibilities and consequences as I can." He shook his head. "But this isn't exactly something I could explain. There's a lot to consider when making these kinds of decisions and there are too many different circumstances. Only experience can teach you these things."

Evan sighed and scratched the back of his head, eyes drifting to the side. "Yeeeah I'm not smart enough for that yet."

"But you will learn," Phantom said simply.

"Yeah I guess I'll have to, being Dragon Master and all." He casted him a weak smile and took a deep breath. "I can do this… Compared to what I have to do in the future… it should be nothing."

Phantom didn't reply and simply watched Evan, now more driven than before, continue on his work for a few more minutes from where he leaned unobtrusively against the shadowed walls of the barn before silently slipping away.

He didn't know where to go or even what to do at this point. The peaceful atmosphere from before was gone, somehow replaced with a somewhat grim air despite the bright fields and blazing skies laid out before him and he sighed. He just can't seem to win can he?

He turned around and considered the barn behind him thoughtfully.

Well, why not? He liked heights anyway and they often provided him with a sense of calmness. Being so high in the air, it was as though nothing could touch him, not the future or life's little worries.

With quick ease, he effortlessly scaled up to the roof where he dropped onto his back, pillowing his head on his arms and settling on staring at the clouds, relishing the warm beams of the sun.

Such a lazy day…

He spent the next few minutes simply gazing at the sky, basking in the warmth like a contented cat and he must have drifted off at some point because he woke up to some vague calls from somewhere below.

Indolently cracking open an eye, he languidly waited for the stupors of his nap to rid itself enough for his focus to return before concentrating on the actual content of the commotion.

"Mr. Phantom? Are you there somewhere?"

"Sir Phantom? Where are you? Sir Phantom?"

A pause.

"Why do you call him Sir Phantom?"

"Uh well um… It… suits him?"

"Hmm I guess it kind of does."

"A-anyway, let's just keep looking for him. Maybe we should've told him to meet back at the house by noon earlier…"

"Yes, that would've been nice, thank you."

"AUGH!"

"Aaah!"

Phantom cocked a brow at the distance Utah had jumped back, feeling the amusement tug at a corner of his lips in a smirk.

"W-whoa w-where'd you come from?" Utah spluttered out, relaxing himself and placing a hand over his heart.

"Around," Phantom answered vaguely. "So, I presume you've been searching for me because it's around lunchtime yes?"

"Yeah! Everyone's too busy with work to meet back for lunch today so mom made some on the go lunch this time. She says she hopes you don't mind it being simple today," Evan explained, handing him a lunch bag.

Phantom smiled and took the bag. "Of course not."

"Cool. We can eat lunch together then," Utah said quickly, trying to erase the embarrassment of his admittedly extreme reaction to Phantom's sudden appearance. "Where you wanna sit?"

Evan shrugged. "Dunno. Doesn't matter. S'a nice day outside today anyway."

"Eh then let's just eat here," Utah suggested, already plopping down onto the ground. Evan followed suit not long after along with Phantom.

"So, whatcha been doin' all day?" Utah asked as he opened his lunch.

"I took a walk," Phantom hummed, looking down at the contents of the lunch bag. A small thermos of a drink, some wrapped paninis, a container of minestrone soup, and another container of fruit salad.

"A walk huh? You like it out here?" Utah asked as he eagerly opened his own panini.

"It's very peaceful and calming," Phantom replied, beginning on his own lunch.

"Right, right. I know. It is isn't it," Utah agreed, bobbing his head in a jolly manner. "This place is just wide open fields way off from town so you can never run out of peace but it could get boring sometimes but I guess with the chores we have around here, you don't really get bored easy. Problem with having such a big open place is that there's heckuva lot to do around here."

"Feeding, hauling, cleaning, caring, fixing, nursing…" Evan listed, counting the items out on his fingers.

"Lotsa stuff. Lotsa work. Heck even after work there's work. Dad sometimes drags me with him to help out with accounting and Evan comes in once in a while to learn the ropes too," Utah said.

"Really?" Phantom asked, surprise tingeing his tone and expression.

"We're not stupid sir," Utah said sullenly, looking mildly offended at the surprised look. "We may just be simple farm folk but we do go to school too y'know."

Phantom cast an amused look in Evan's direction saying slowly and deliberately, "Is that so?"

"Well… Evan here might've slept through his classes like he sleeps through everything," Utah said, grinning when Phantom gave a snort of laughter.

Evan cast a sulky glare at both of them before turning his attention towards his brother. "Shut up Utah or I'll drop spiders in your underwear draw again."

That quickly wiped the grin off Utah's face and he leveled his own glare at Evan. "Don't you dare or I'mma dump you in the river."

"And I see that you're not short on things to do when you have no chores too," Phantom commented amusedly.

"You make it sound as though I dump Evan into the river every other week for fun," Utah guffawed. "As much as I'd loooove to do that to the little pest, mom and dad would probably have my hide."

"_I'd _have your hide," Evan grumbled into his soup.

"Oh yeah? And what can you do to me short stuff? You've never won against me in a wrestling match _or _a fight once in your whole entire life," Utah scoffed, giving Evan a smug grin and mussing up his brother's hair.

"Yeah but I've probably tricked you more times than you won," Evan shot back, breaking away from Utah's hands and trying to pat his hair back down into some semblance of neatness.

Utah scowled. "No you didn't."

"Yeah I did."

"No. You really didn't."

Evan rolled his eyes and turned to Phantom, whispering to him conspiratorially, "He's just mad because I sicced Bulldog on him once after I snuck a treat in his back pocket." He paused and sniggered. "He bit Utah on the bum and ripped off his pants bottom right in front of Cam—Ow!"

"You little brat!" Utah cried, an embarrassed shade of red settling over his face. "Have some respect for your older brother!"

"I will once you start acting like an older brother," Evan growled back, rubbing the spot Utah had hit him.

"I do act like an older brother," Utah protested.

"Let's see," Evan began, ticking off his fingers. "You're a scaredy-cat, you're lazy, you shove work onto me whenever you could, you always pick on me, you whine about the stupidest things—"

"You're no angel neither twerp," Utah grunted back, finishing off his fruit salad. "You like to stick your nose into other people's business, you never let things go, you get into trouble so often I swear you _look _for it, you have that mouth yours, you have no respect—"

"Well at least it's better than being chicken!"

"Chicken? You've got some real guts saying that right in your older brother's face!"

"What? Can't handle the truth?" Evan taunted.

"Brat, you're so not cute," Utah grumbled, glaring at his younger brother.

"Wasn't tryin'a be," Evan retorted.

Phantom silently watched them argue back and forth with an amused smile. These two provided better entertainment than anything he could have found.

Lunch break now over, Phantom was once again left to his own devices.

Evan, seeming to sense the boredom already settling over the thief suggested, "Why don't you try helping me out? I mean, having twice the chores, it'd be great to have a helping hand. You don't have to if you don't want to though," he hastily added.

"I don't know it depends," Phantom replied slowly. "What do you have to do?"

"Nothing much really. You won't even get a speck of dirt on you I promise. Mom'll kill me if she found out I'm making a guest work anyway," Evan said, cringing slightly at the thought.

"Hmmm alright then. I'll take you up on your offer."

"Well then have fun you two. I still gotta fix the pig fence. Stupid stumps keep bumbling into em," Utah said as he stood and stretched. "At least we'll never run outta wood though. Why go for wood when the wood comes to us?"

"You won't tell mom will you?" Evan asked suspiciously.

Utah rolled his eyes. "C'mon brat. Have a lil faith in your brother will ya? I'm a bit hurt you'd even ask if I'd tell on you. I ain't a tattletale."

"I guess," Evan agreed, shrugging and getting up. "C'mon. It's gonna be a long day," he sighed.

Phantom obliged and they parted once again and the rest of the day seemed to fly by as he spent time giving Evan a helping hand with the animals and the various other chores.

Physical labor was something he never wanted to revisit ever again and despite Evan's assurance that he would remain dirt-free after this, he found himself still a little leery of doing any manual labor of any sort. He liked remaining pristine thanks and _maybe_ living the life of a noble _may have_ spoiled him _a little_. But he had to admit that it wasn't all bad. The animals were docile, he had exerted minimal effort on his part, and he managed to stay immaculate.

He couldn't really say the same for Evan though. He seemed to be getting clumsier and clumsier as the day wore on which only helped in making him all the more dirty, a result of the tenseness in his body. He could give a good guess as to what was causing him to tense like this and it could only be his anxiety over the inevitable confrontation with his family looming over his head.

But Phantom said nothing nor did he point it out. He didn't know what comfort he could provide for Evan. He's never had a family that would miss him or a family to miss in turn so he wouldn't really know what devastation they might feel only that it would be painful.

Dusk was starting to break over the sky when Evan decided to call it a day.

Silently, they finished what they were doing and headed their slow way home amidst the chirruping of awakening crickets, the cool breeze of the coming night wafting through their hair like a wary sigh and bringing along with it the smell of the evening.

"I'm home!" Evan announced, as he opened the front door of the house.

"Oh Evan! Hello Phantom!" Anna greeted, turning to look at them through the doorway to the kitchen from her place in front of the stove. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes so go wash up and sit tight!"

"Okay!" Evan replied obediently. "C'mon. You'd better wash up too," he advised, turning to Phantom.

Once finished and with nothing else to do, they sat idly on the couch in front of the fireplace alive with a merry flame crackling cheerfully in its hearth, waiting in awkward silence for dinner to be ready.

Evan was the first to break the silence.

"Um… Sir?"

"Yes?"

Evan shifted slightly in his seat and continued. "I just wanna say thanks… for y'know… for choosing to stay with me instead of going back to the Lumiere."

"Yes well," Phantom hummed. "I also have an obligation to inform your family as the man who would soon be taking their son out to war."

Evan turned his head downward to gaze at the floor. "Oh… makes sense but when you put it like that…"

Phantom shook his head. "I'm not that cold-hearted, Evan. I also chose to accompany you because I can't exactly drop you off so unceremoniously to handle everything yourself. But in essence, that is also the truth. I will be taking you to war and it would be disgraceful not to at least show them the one who would be doing so and answering to them."

"Wow… you're pretty dutiful."

"No, it's simply common sense anyone with morals would have."

Evan didn't answer but Phantom could see from the slight scrunch of his face what he was thinking and Phantom's lips curved slightly in a wan smile.

"It's okay. You can say it. A thief with morals. How counterintuitive."

"I-I wasn't thinking that!" Evan squeaked, face turning red at getting caught.

"Has anyone told you you're a terrible liar?" Phantom asked mildly.

"I… I…" Evan gave up and sighed, sagging into his seat. "I'm sorry sir," he mumbled, still red-faced. "I know you're not a bad person…"

Phantom nodded. "It's understandable. Sometimes, even I wonder…"

Before Evan could say anything about that, Utah barged through the door with a bang and announced loudly, "I'm hoooooome!" He then turned to Evan and Phantom sitting on the couch and smirked. "Hey Mr. Phantom, pipsqueak. How're you doing?"

"Welcome home Utah," Anna called from the kitchen at the same time Evan grumbled out, "My name's not pipsqueak."

Utah simply ruffled his hair on his way to the kitchen.

"I hate how he treats me like a kid," Evan groused.

"But you are one," Phantom contradicted, also ruffling his hair with a grin.

Evan whined and moved away from his hand. "No m'not! I mean, I'm not a grown-up but I'm not a little kid either."

"Is that so now?" Phantom asked with an unreadable grin on his face.

Evan glanced at him suspiciously. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh nothing. I was just thinking that if you're not a grown-up or a little kid, it still makes you a kid," Phantom mused.

"You know what I mean!" Evan cried indignantly.

"I'm afraid I don't. Try making yourself a little clearer," Phantom snickered.

"… You're doing this on purpose," Evan accused sullenly, slouching.

"And only a child would get so defensive over their own maturity so you've just proven my point with no apparent effort on my part," Phantom contended smoothly.

Evan looked slightly frustrated at having walked right into his trap but his grumpy expression quickly evaporated when Gustav entered the house and dinner began to be served.

As the meal and the usual chatter wore on, it was evident that their earlier distracting conversation was wearing off of Evan and he was quickly becoming nervous again. His parents seemed to notice his tension and asked him at varying intervals if there was anything wrong to which Evan simply gave a smile and a, "After."

When dessert finally arrived, Anna turned to Evan and said, "Okay Evan. It's after now. What's bothering you sweetie?"

Evan directed an almost terrified look at Phantom, who simply dipped his head slightly.

"I uh…" Evan swallowed, eyes darting around to each of his family's faces and asked meekly, "Is… is it okay if I… open the door so Mir can sort of participate?"

Anna blinked in surprise and exchanged looks with Gustav before turning back to her son. "Of course sweetie if it's going to help."

Evan gave her a small smile. "Yeah. Thanks mom."

He excused himself from the table, made his way to the door, and opened it to reveal Mir sprawled on the porch and a portion of the stairs, elegant reptilian head rising from the wooden boards to gaze into the house.

_Good evening_, he greeted to which everyone responded with a good evening of their own.

Taking it as his cue, Phantom also stood from the table and walked over to Evan to the confused looks of the family, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"I'll start," he said quietly.

The young Dragon Master looked up to him gratefully and nodded, giving the thief the go-ahead.

Phantom cleared his throat and began, "I'm sure you're all curious as to what could be troubling Evan tonight but I'm afraid that could only grow clearer in the end. For now, I'm going to tell a story that intertwines heavily with Evan's fate and that which is part of the reasons for his anxiety. I ask that you please don't interrupt me until the very end but for now, I would like to ask how much you know about the Black Mage and the five Heroes who defeated him… three hundred years ago."

Each member of the family exchanged surprised and confused glances, making it evident that they had not escaped the Black Wings's attempts at demolishing history and Phantom inwardly cursed them.

"Three hundred years ago? Well we know he's on the rise now but… Three hundred years ago?" Gustav contemplated.

"I woulda thought something that big would've been taught at school but I've never heard of the Black Mage going three hundred years back or these Heroes who supposedly defeated him," Utah added.

"I haven't heard of it either," Anna said, shaking her head.

"I see… The Black Wings have been going around attempting to destroy every last history book in Maple World especially pertaining to that war with the Black Mage… and it seems like they're succeeding," Phantom explained grimly but then shook his head. "Then I suppose I have more explaining to do. It may sound unbelievable but please… I need you to take my word for it. I need your absolute trust and cooperation for this."

Hesitant nods met his request and Phantom continued. "Then I shall begin. Three hundred years ago, the Black Mage rose into power and started to wreak havoc on Maple World… Although there were attempts made to placate and make peace with him, they all failed…" Phantom forced back the memories of Aria that threatened to well within him as he pressed on. "At that time, no one but five individuals were powerful enough to forcefully quell him and they became known as the Heroes who saved Maple World. But their victory came with a cost. Four were sealed in ice for three hundred years and one… lost his life for the cause." Phantom swallowed and again forced himself to push back memories of yet another cherished person in his life.

"His name was Freud, the original Dragon Master. His partner, the king of Onyx Dragons, Afrien, took the curse meant for him and became encased in ice in his stead but Freud… still perished…" Phantom compelled himself not to falter over the words. He couldn't do that now and in front of people. "Now, three hundred years later, all the Heroes have awakened as the seal on the Black Mage wanes. Afrien's body has become one with his surroundings and cannot hope to rise to the occasion lest he destroys the entire land he is on so now, the Heroes are one member short."

He could see the beginnings of comprehension and realization starting to dawn in their eyes.

Phantom nodded. "Indeed, although Freud and Afrien cannot continue their fight, they have passed the torch on to their successors which so happens to be young Evan here and his partner, Mir."

Varying degrees of shock met his eyes.

"So what? Evan's the successor of this Freud who defeated the Black Mage in the past?" Utah asked incredulously.

Phantom nodded again in confirmation.

"So why are you telling us this?" Anna asked nervously, expression anxious as her eyes shifted between him and Evan.

At this point, Evan stepped forward. "Mom… dad… Utah…" he said, looking towards each person as he addressed them. "We're… going to be fighting the Black Mage in Freud and Afrien's stead."

_Master and I can't stay here…_ Mir appended sadly.

Anna gasped, covering her mouth with a hand while Utah and Gustav stared at him, speechless.

Finally, Utah broke the silence by turning to Phantom and asking suspiciously, "How do you know all this?"

Phantom offered him a thin smile and gestured to himself. "Isn't it obvious? I'm Phantom, one of the legendary Heroes of old, at your service," he said, finishing off with a small bow.

"Prove it!" Utah demanded, slamming a hand on the table and abruptly standing from his seat, almost upending his chair. "You better not be messin' around with us or—"

"Utah! Calm down!" Evan begged, looking wide-eyed at his brother. "I-it's true… Mir and I… actually met with Afrien and he told us about the Heroes and everything… He even showed us memories."

Utah stared at Evan for a long, hard while, searching his face for any traces of a lie but finding none, he fell back into his chair looking defeated.

"I-isn't there any way not to involve him?" Anna asked tremulously, lips quivering and eyes pleading as they looked towards Phantom. "There must be hundreds of other fine, brave warriors in Maple World to go instead."

Phantom fought the urge to look away as he said solemnly, "My sincerest apologies madam but as the only Dragon Master in the world, he has abilities that no other warrior in Maple can hope to attain or match and as such, he is irreplaceable and crucial in our new crusade against the Black Mage."

Anna was on the verge of tears at his words and Phantom felt his stomach sink heavily with leaden guilt.

Mir made a faint keening noise and Evan put a soothing hand on his head. "It's okay Mir…"

Finally, Gustav spoke, voice slightly gravelly but calm as he said, "And what do you think of this Evan, Mir?"

"I…" His eyes darted quickly to Phantom and back again to his father before he straightened and said in as confident a manner as he could, "I want to do this. I-I feel like it's my duty to everyone in the world as the new Dragon Master. I can't just let Freud and Afrien's efforts go to waste…"

Utah scowled, face suddenly thunderous as he exploded. "Don't be stupid Evan and stop playing hero! This isn't a game! You're _twelve_ for the goddess's sake and you want to go around chasing after guys like the _Black Mage?_"

Evan shrank slightly at his older brother's rage. Utah wasn't known for his temper and it was hard to get him angry but when he was, it was often for very good reasons and Evan always secretly found his anger to be just as frightening as answering to his parents.

_Master…_ Mir said helplessly.

"What about you Mir?" Gustav asked directing his attention at the dragon and ignoring his elder son's indignant protests.

Mir turned solemn eyes to Gustav as he delivered his answer. _I feel the same way as master. The Onyx Dragons have agreed to a contract that would stretch over generations, vowing to live in harmony with humans and the Dragon Masters that arose from this pact pledges to keep the peace in the world. Since then, it's in my pride as an Onyx Dragon to uphold and fulfill these duties and for the sake of continuing the future of my kind who has been annihilated by the Black Mage and his followers, _Mir said, punctuating his animosity for the tyrant by curling his lip in a fierce snarl to reveal fearsome sharp teeth.

"Dad! Why're you asking these things? You're not seriously going to let them _go?_" Utah asked dubiously, staring incredulously at his father.

Gustav shook his head. "It's…" He sighed heavily, suddenly looking every one of his years and more. "It's just something I need to keep in mind as I think this over."

Anna was full-blown crying by this point and Gustav moved to comfort her while Evan stared helplessly at his tearful mother and frustrated brother who had one hand covering his eyes, looking crushed and on the verge of tears himself.

Phantom stood uncomfortably beside him as he watched the scene, giving a small squeeze to Evan's shoulder for all the comfort it was worth.

Who knew this could hurt so much? These people weren't even his family, kind strangers at worst and lively acquaintances at best but that's the thing, he supposed. They were good people no matter how one looked at them, good people who had done nothing to deserve having their son robbed from them. And then suddenly, he, a mere stranger, waltzes into their lives and starts breaking apart their family. The thought was almost unbearable. He wouldn't blame them if they resented him.

If he was feeling this way and he wasn't even family, he couldn't even begin imagine what Evan might be feeling.

Without a word, Evan turned and ran out the door and Mir immediately followed.

Phantom gave a quick glance around the room before he hurried after him. The family members were each too aggrieved to go after him.

They ran a distance away from the house before Evan finally collapsed and curled himself into a tight ball, sobs wracking his body as Mir coiled around him and nuzzled him in vain comfort, making low whining noises even as he started shedding his own tears at his master's distress.

Phantom slowed to a halt behind them and hesitated as he watched Evan cry his heart out, unsure how to approach the situation.

He's never comforted a crying person before in his life much less a child but Evan looked so small and helpless within the bulk of his dragon that it also felt unacceptable to just leave him be so he drew in a breath and made his way over, standing awkwardly in front of the crying Evan.

He wasn't even sure if his presence was wanted or even needed but before he could second-guess himself further, Evan spoke up.

"N-now I-'ve d-done it," he managed from between his sobs. "T-they pro-prob'ly h-hate m-m-me now."

Phantom wavered for only a moment longer before he slowly knelt to his eye level and said quietly, "Evan, your role as Dragon Master wasn't the result of any choice you made. You were simply the unfortunate victim of circumstances way beyond your control. Your family could never hate you, much less for something you had absolutely no say in."

"B-but I-I made m-mom cry a-and even-even Utah w-was an-an…" Evan cut himself off as a fresh wave of renewed crying took hold of him, wracking his small body with tremors.

Phantom waited patiently for Evan to calm down a little more again before repeating, "Your family could never hate you. You've lived with them your whole life. Do you really think they could be capable of hating you after worrying so much after you?"

Evan sniffed and swiped a hand across his nose to which Phantom hid his grimace and handed him a handkerchief. The young Dragon Master took it gratefully as he uttered a small, "Thanks."

"I… I g-guess they d-don't ha-hate me b-but… now they'll n-never let m-me go," Evan said, hiccupping and wringing the handkerchief into tight coils. "A-and h-how could I-I say no? I-I ma-made m-mom cry…"

More tears began to spring in his eyes at the last reminder but he stubbornly blinked the tears back and forcibly wiped them away with the back of his hands.

Phantom frowned. "I think… this is something you would have to negotiate with your family. You cannot make any assumptions just yet. I think your family at least recognizes the importance of having your presence against the Black Mage and they're not foolish enough not to consider that and doom the world before making any final decisions. For now, you can only wait until they recuperate from the news and you have composed yourself enough to take part in the discussion."

Evan nodded mutely and Phantom could tell that he was now conversing with Mir through their mental connection and he leaned back on his heels and waited. They sat outside for a little while longer before Phantom decided that they had recovered from their emotional turmoil enough to return home and stood up from his spot.

"Let's go back now. Your family would be worried."

Evan nodded again and slowly stood on wobbly legs with Mir right behind him as they made their way back to the house.

They returned to a silent living room wherein Gustav is its only occupant, sitting idly at the dining table appearing as though he was lost in deep thought.

He looked up upon their entry and approached them, giving his son a hug and a nod towards Phantom. "It's good to see you two return safe and sound. I was going to go out looking for you if you didn't return in the next ten minutes."

"Thanks dad," Evan mumbled quietly, head bowed.

Gustav simply ruffled his hair and said, "You two go get some sleep now. It's been a tiring evening."

Neither of them contended with his advice and they both immediately began trudging up the stairs.

As they ascended, Phantom noted the untouched dessert still sitting amid a circle of clean plates and silverware on the table surrounded by empty chairs and somehow, the house had never felt colder.

* * *

I'm sorry I don't know what kind of things you do on a farm specifically although I tried to look it up ;_;

I hope you've enjoyed it and I'll see you next time!


	3. Caretaking

As most of you are unaware, I've created a Livejournal if you care to check it out! Please check my profile for more info!

To **RevolutionizedWorld**: Yes, Evan is twelve, or more specifically twelve and a half which I was going to make clearer later on since I imagine the story taking place sometime in late spring/early summer and if I'm not mistaken, his birthday is somewhere in December according to the official source, Secret Story. Yes, Evan is smart for his age, born from his creativity nurtured by his parents who encourage it, his curiosity, and his willingness to learn. He's a rather gifted individual all things said. But while Evan may be pretty clever, he still does things that wouldn't be considered very smart such as running off on his own without telling anyone and falling for Hiver's schemes, mistakes that could be made by someone of such a young age.

If he still seems a little _too_ smart for his age anyway, I apologize because I don't have much contact with children. I've done the best I have with what I know.

I'd place Evan somewhere between level 100-119 but his level is irrelevant to his age as someone could be young but still be relatively high-leveled in my opinion.

To **JustKIdding:** Thank you for your suggestion! I'll look more into it when I find the time.

* * *

Two AM and Phantom still couldn't seem to grasp the elusive edges of sleep. Sighing and deciding to give up on that particular venture for the moment, he got up out of bed and noiselessly made his way through the darkened house towards the stairwell. Maybe he'll take a little walk before trying again.

Making his way over, he noticed a soft orange glow painting the wooden walls, peeking out dimly from the room below. Halfway down the stairs, he could finally make out the source of the light along with the lone occupant who had lit it.

Anna sat at the vacant dining table by herself, the yellowish light from the lantern that sat in front of her illuminating her contemplative face and highlighting the weary lines of worry on her face. Her long brown hair was down from its loose bun and she wore a plain white nightgown, evidence of her failed attempts at sleep. Clasped between her hands was a cup of tea which she gazed into with wearied brown eyes.

Phantom paused at the sight of the lonesome woman sitting by herself, the tall shadows of the room lurking and looming over her figure like silent spectators to her pensive rumination and almost without thinking, he made his way towards her, sliding into the seat across from her.

Anna stirred from her reverie at the sound of a chair scrapping on the wooden floor and looked up from her downward stare, surprise crossing her features before they melted into a warm smile. Phantom returned the smile with a friendly one of his own despite his uncertainties and asked in a quiet voice, "Can't sleep?"

"I'm afraid not. Too many things have been going through my mind ever since Evan told me about…" Anna let out a breath. "I'm sorry. Where are my manners? I shouldn't be bothering you with my worries. Would you like something to drink? Some tea or coffee perhaps?"

Phantom shook his head. "No thank you madam that won't be necessary. I just saw a lovely woman sitting distraught all by herself and I simply couldn't leave her alone in such distress."

Anna laughed softly. "You're quite the charmer aren't you?"

Phantom raised his hands innocently. "I'm simply stating what is true. In any case, your concerns about Evan are my concerns as well since he's been under my wing for quite a while now."

"He has been hasn't he?" She directed a grateful smile at him. "Thanks again for taking care of him all this time. It's reassuring to know that such a kind young man such as yourself has been looking after him."

Phantom returned the smile with a quick one of his own, unable to help the mental denial to his supposed benevolence, before hesitating and asking slowly, "You… don't hate me?"

"Hate you?" Anna asked confusedly. "For what dear?"

"Well, I, an essential stranger, strolls into your household to give back your son only to tell you that I'll be taking him away again to fight against one of the most powerful evils in the world."

"Ah…" Anna leaned back in her seat and shook her head. "Well, I admit that in the beginning I was wondering why you had to tell us this now but in the end, I know that no one's to blame for this. You would have had to tell us this eventually and I don't make it a habit of shooting the messenger dear," she said, chuckling breathily. She paused and her countenance shifted to one of worry. "How… How long can he stay?"

And just like that, Phantom felt the urge to run from this conversation. He didn't want to talk about this. He didn't want to be the one to deliver the damning blows to this family but there was no running or fleeing. This was unavoidable and as the more experienced Hero who would soon be taking Evan away, he had an obligation to inform in place of the young boy.

"A week," he replied, giving nothing of his emotions away. "He needs all the time he could get to grow stronger."

_In order to survive_.

It went unsaid but it hung in the air like a suffocating fog over the room.

"O-oh I see," Anna mumbled, wringing her hands.

"I thought the sooner you knew the better. I'm… sorry…" Phantom apologized, feeling the inefficacy of the two words even as they fell off his lips.

What was he sorry for anyway? Her heartache? Tearing apart her family so early on? Or the fact that he'll be taking Evan away to war in five days' time? He wasn't the one to blame in all this. He knew that. He was simply the one to explain what just _was_ and what would have happened anyway even if he hadn't interfered_. _So then why did he feel so responsible?

Anna shook her head. "You have nothing to apologize for… I…" She sighed. "It's just… it's so dangerous and Evan is so young… I'm not ready to let him go yet. I've raised that boy since he was just a small baby, watching him grow, and as his mother, I want to protect him from all the evil and danger in the world but this… this is just too big for me. How can I even begin to wrap my arm around this? I've never felt so helpless before in my life. I—"

She buried her face in her hands and started crying. "Oh what could I do?"

Feeling stunned at the sudden open display of emotion, Phantom could only stare at the weeping woman in front of him for a few moments before he stood from his seat, made his way over to her, and offered a clean handkerchief to her.

Anna sniffed and took it with a small, "Thank you."

Phantom waited beside her as she dabbed her eyes and composed herself again much as he had done for Evan, turning his head away from the lamenting woman to give her at least the impression of privacy.

"I'm sorry about that," she sighed, rubbing away the last of her tears. "I must have put you in such an awkward spot."

"No, you don't need to apologize. It's perfectly understandable under these circumstances and you haven't put me in any such position. It would simply be discourteous of me to leave you alone in this condition."

Anna smiled sadly, the last visages of tears still clinging to the corners of her eyes, and patted his arm. "Thank you…"

Phantom nodded almost mechanically, feeling as though he didn't deserve any thanks.

He wanted to say something to her to comfort her or to reassure her or _anything_. The impulse seared through his chest and up his throat but cooled off and dissipated under the dryness of uncertainty before it could even reach his mouth and he found himself at a loss. What could he say? What was he supposed to say to an aggrieved mother who would soon be losing her son to the maelstrom of fate? What _right_ did he have anyway? He was an iniquitous thief who stole the valuables of nobles and has now stooped so low as to steal the valuables of a humble family. That was something the aristocracies he so despised did, not him.

It was sorrowing, frustrating but most of all, wretched. For someone who understood with perfectly painful precision the indifferent injustices of the world, he couldn't help but think that this was unfair.

"I… I'm sorry I know that you've already done enough but… can I… can I ask you a favor?"

Phantom turned to Anna as she spoke. Her honey eyes glistened with wetness but they also held powerless desperation in them as they gazed at him.

"I don't want you to feel obligated to do what I'm about to ask you to do… I just… I know this is the limit of how far I can protect my boy and I'd still fight to protect him regardless but can you… can you just… look after him for me?"

Phantom's eyes widened slightly at the request.

Look after Evan? Certainly that was what he had been doing before but somehow, it never really struck him that way. Was she asking that he took care of Evan in her stead?

That was mind-blowing.

Taking care of someone? He's never done that before in his _life_. The only one he's ever cared for in the way Anna was asking was himself. Looking after someone was one thing but _caring?_ That involved actually thinking of Evan as one of his own and to top it all off, he was a _child,_ a whole other dimension he had never tread upon _ever_. He wouldn't know the first thing to go about that and he felt he wasn't fit for the task but…

Misconstruing his silent contemplation for hesitation, Anna quickly moved to reiterate herself. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to spring that one on you. I don't resent you for saying no and—"

"I'll do it," Phantom interrupted.

"W-what?"

"I'll do it," he repeated patiently, this time with a small smile on his face.

For a moment, Anna simply sat frozen as she stared at him with a hopeful light, making her eyes shine with pure, unadulterated relief made all the brighter by the thankful tears brimming from their depths. She fumbled with the handkerchief in her hands before abruptly standing from her seat and wrapping her arms around him in a crushing hug.

"Oh thank you! Goddesses bless you! Thank you so much! I'll never be able to repay you! Never in my whole life! Thank you!" she sobbed but this time out of immense gratitude that radiated off her very being.

Phantom smiled faintly and patted her back.

Maybe he couldn't change the fact he was going to take Evan away and maybe he couldn't do much in the way of changing fate but at least this was one thing he could do for someone who was powerless to do anything. He could do this at least.

And the thought felt good.

o-O-o

The next morning brought with it a silent storm that brewed over the heads of each individual as they went through their usual routines in life, the grimness of the air clashing terribly with the cheery weather outside.

Breakfast was a silent affair with Gustav and Utah gone to get an early start on their chores, leaving Anna, Evan, and Phantom alone at the breakfast table in an awkward hush. Though Anna did her best to distill the heavy, uncomfortable atmosphere and lift the melancholy mood, Evan simply wasn't up to acting cheery, though not for the lack of trying. He was just too strained and Phantom was simply too weary.

Breakfast finished in a somewhat awkward silence and they each parted with quiet good-byes and hesitant smiles.

The uncharacteristic melancholy introduced into the house was almost cloying, especially after having experienced the light atmosphere that pervaded in the small little home that could safely be called the norm in the house.

Sighing as he aimlessly wandered about, he hoped this matter could be cleared up as soon as possible because he didn't think he could stand even another day of this but it was up to the family to get their own bearings back and decide when to reconvene for another meeting without the heady flood of emotions clouding their minds.

Trudging along the road half in boredom and half in contemplation, he nearly missed Gustav calling out to him a few feet away to his left.

Snapping out of the stupor, he turned towards the man and gave a small smile as Gustav made his way over through the multitude of pigs lazily roaming about the pen.

"Ah Phantom. Beautiful day isn't it?" Gustav greeted when he got close enough to talk without shouting.

Phantom nodded. "As was yesterday."

"Ah enjoy it while it lasts. I think it'll rain tomorrow," Gustav sighed, fanning himself with his hat. "So how are you doing? I hope yesterday wasn't too overwhelming for you…"

"No, I'm perfectly fine. I should be asking that of you actually."

"Oh I'm as okay as I could be given the circumstances. I've been thinking myself into a frenzy ever since last night."

"I would imagine so."

Gustav hummed in reply and a silence descended over the two.

"Actually… Can I talk to you for a moment, Phantom?" Gustav eventually asked.

Phantom shifted his gaze from the carefree pigs plodding happily about their pen back to Gustav and nodded. "But of course."

Gustav blew out a breath replaced the hat back onto his head. "Ahh… Where do I even begin? Well, I guess there's no use beating around the bush. It's about Evan."

Phantom remained utterly unsurprised and simply nodded.

"From the looks of it, Evan has a long road ahead of him full of danger that he's going to be walking alone. Anna and I've done our best to raise our boys to be fine, honest young men but something like this is beyond what we can do for him. We're just simple farm folks you see. We don't have the knowledge or the means to support Evan." Gustav's gaze was slightly helpless as he looked Phantom in the eye. "He's going to be going to places far off that we've never even heard of and he's going to see things we'd never even imagine in our wildest dreams."

Phantom frowned. "You sound resigned."

"I guess that's how I feel," Gustav sighed. "I've been thinking the matter over in my head the whole night and this whole morning and they just keep going in circles. I know it's getting me nowhere. I want Evan to stay here, where he's safe and there's absolutely nothing in this planet that could stop me from keeping him here, not even Empress Cygnus herself. But if there's one lesson in life that I've learned and one that I'm teaching my boys it's that life would throw you on the wayside sometimes and there's nothing you could do about it. I don't like that Evan is going against something like the Black Mage and I don't have to accept it but that's how it is even if I try to turn my head away from that. I'm not exempt from these rules of life. That's not the kind of example I want to give to my sons. When life throws something like this at you, sometimes, you just have to take it in stride even if you don't want to and that's exactly what I have to do now.

It doesn't make things any easier and it pains me now even as I say this but… please take care of Evan. As I said before, I'm just a humble farmer who can't even begin to wrap his head around this, still knee-deep in denial. There's… almost no way I can help him as I am so I ask that you please lend him your guidance in our stead."

"If it'll put your heart at ease, then I shall. I solemnly swear it."

Gustav smiled faintly, clasping a hand to his shoulder. "You're a good person, Phantom. I know you'll keep your word on this."

Phantom smiled on return, the muscles of his mouth stretching reluctantly to keep up appearances for the occasion.

He wished he would stop being praised as a good person but nevertheless, he'll keep his word on this just as he planned to keep his promise with Anna. Guidance was at least something he thought he could do.

"Evan still needs his father, however."

Gustav chuckled and withdrew his hand. "Well certainly I'll always be by his side. I'll provide whatever support I can but I'll always feel it's never enough."

"It's better than no support at all," Phantom pointed out.

"That is true but in those moments in life as a parent when you can do nothing but watch your kids as they venture into dangerous territory, you'll always feel the urge to pick them up whenever they fall down and carry them on yourself even if you know there's nothing you can do, even if you know it's probably better if they fell to learn how to stand straighter."

"I see…" Phantom muttered.

"Have you ever felt that from your own parents?"

Phantom's lips curved again into an empty smile. "I'm afraid I never knew my parents."

"Ah, pardon me. I shouldn't have made that assumption," Gustav apologized.

"No, it's okay. It doesn't really bother me. You can't miss what you never had right?" Phantom asked rhetorically, idly watching as one of the pigs dug around the dirt with its snout.

Gustav shook his head. "But you can't enjoy it either. I may be too forward by saying this but all things considered, I think it's only right that you think of us as your family and we think of you in turn as one of us."

Phantom blinked at the man. "What do you mean?"

"Oh it's a thought but since Evan is about to go under your care, you'll be like a new guardian to him in the future, almost like an extension of our family to watch over him."

"How can you trust me so readily? Enough to even welcome me into your family? We haven't even met for four days," Phantom said with a frown, furrowing a brow.

At that, Gustav looked him square in the eye and said, "I don't think anyone who would care enough about Evan to clothe and shelter him, to bring him back home, and to accompany him through this chaotic time could be a bad person."

This family was too trusting for their own good. They knew nothing of his sordid past or his infamous reputation, nothing of his character beyond what he presented to them on the shallow surface, and nothing of his present person as a legendary thief.

Still, he couldn't say this confidence in him in particular was entirely misplaced since he had planned to uphold his promises from the beginning anyway but if he were even slightly less honorable… Frightening how he could actually see himself fall off that brink so easily. It's happened once before recently and many times before that. Who's to say it won't happen again?

"Well," Gustav grunted as he stretched. "I'd love to stay and chat with you for a little while longer but the day isn't getting any younger. I'll see you later today okay? Oh and I doubt Anna forgot to tell you since she has a better memory than this old man here but Utah is going to bring you your lunch later on."

"Yes, the madam has informed me before everyone had set off."

Gustav nodded. "Okay then. I hope the rest of the day is pleasant to you and you're more than welcome to explore any part of this farm you like."

"Thank you. I wish you a good day too," Phantom replied and they each parted from the fence, Gustav to his work and Phantom to… wherever he supposed. The days are going to drag if this kept up. Maybe he could steal a trip to Henesys. But it was almost noon anyway and he couldn't exactly leave when he knew Utah would be waiting around with both their lunches.

Well, he supposed he could always entertain himself.

Summoning his deck of cards, he idly shuffled and reshuffled them, occasionally forming them into fantastic new shapes.

Then a raven, now a rose; then a star, now a butterfly.

"That's some neat magic tricks you got there."

Phantom paused and looked towards the new voice from his absentminded concentration of his craft.

Utah stood a few feet away underneath the shade of a lone tree, an eyebrow raised and gaze fixed curiously at the deck of cards in his hands.

"Ah, but it's not just 'some neat magic tricks' as you say. It's a very sophisticated skill," Phantom corrected, walking over to the farm boy.

"Somehow I get the feeling you just said that to sound fancy," Utah muttered before he held up a lunch bag. "Here, I've got your lunch."

"Thank you," Phantom said, taking it from Utah's outstretched arm.

"No problem I mean I used to do this every other time with dad and Evan."

"Must be tiring running around the farm looking for them," Phantom mused.

Utah snorted. "Yeah no kidding. Dad's a little easier to find but Evan… boy, the places I find that kid in. Stuck in a hole, being attacked by chickens… You won't believe some of the crazy stuff I've seen," Utah related, shaking his head. "Who could have possibly known he'd somehow get himself stranded on the roof? Not me that's for sure," he scoffed.

Phantom grinned. "They sound like interesting stories."

"You bet," Utah snickered. "Evan will always be the little troublemaker and trouble-tangler. Heck I bet the squirt hasn't changed one iota even now! Those fancy clothes can't fool me. He's no more different than the last time I saw him."

Utah seems to have rebounded pretty well to be talking about Evan so playfully considering how upset he had looked just yesterday.

Phantom frowned slightly as a sudden thought occurred to him.

Wasn't Utah a bit jealous of Evan's position? After all, he had magical powers and a dragon now and Phantom voiced his thoughts out loud.

Utah scoffed. "Yeah I guess I'm a bit jealous of him having those new powers and a sweet dragon to ride around on but I'm not dumb enough to be jealous of his position I mean, I might not know everything but I've heard enough to know that what Evan got himself into this time is damn dangerous. Which is why I want to ask you something."

Phantom had a feeling what that something may be. After all, he's already been through two other similar conversations before but he patiently nodded and said, "Yes?"

Utah leaned against the trunk and stared up at the verdant of the tree above him reflectively. "Well I'm not worried 'bout Evan taking care of himself 'cause I've spent enough time with the brat and his bag of tricks to know he doesn't need caring, at least not his health. I know it doesn't look like it at times but he's a damn smart kid and I just know he can watch out for himself. What I want to ask is that you just make him happy. That's all."

Phantom raised a brow. How… unexpected.

Utah looked over at him and grinned. "What? You thought I'd hover over him?"

"Truthfully I did."

Utah waved the notion away. "Nah. I know mom and dad already has that department covered. I mean, Evan's safety is important but being parents, they tend to miss other things too. I'm just filling those in being his brother and dealing with the little imp's real side twenty-four seven, I think I'd know a bit more about him. But anyway, Evan's future is pretty darn dangerous and I can't deny that… things may happen." Utah seemed to grimace slightly but he continued. "Now I'm not being a pessimist here. I'm just being a realist and let's face it, that'll always be something that could happen. If that's the case… I don't want Evan to go unhappy. I know with all this danger lurking around, he'll be worrying himself into a tizzy. I just don't want the kid to forget how to smile."

Phantom shook his head, starting to see this young man in a new light. "You're something else aren't you? But I'm afraid I rather fail in my knowledge about how to make other people happy."

To that, Utah simply shrugged. "Evan isn't a hard kid to please. Never has been. Even when he was a baby, it's not hard to get him to stop crying. You don't really have to try to get him to be happy but the thing is that it's just as easy for him to be sad, emotional little bugger. All you probably have to do is spend some time with him. He loves company. Compliment him every once in a while, give him something nice, something simple will do, or let him help you out with something. He loves making other people happy. It'll make his whole day."

"You seem oddly invested in his happiness for a brother who seems to enjoy pushing him around," Phantom commented amusedly.

"Yeah well, Evan's a bit hard to hate," Utah admitted, turning a faint red in embarrassment. "And he's still my kid brother. I have to watch out for him you know?"

"Hard to hate him hm?"

"Ah well, truthfully I used to and, uh… don't tell mom or dad but once, I tried to sell him during one of the carnivals in town."

Phantom raised an incredulous brow. "And Evan didn't tell his mother?"

"I bought him off with a few pieces of candy to keep his silence," Utah said, grinning. "He was such a munchkin, a lot cuter then than he is now. He used to follow me around everywhere like a baby chick." He sighed. "Boy, I wish I learned to enjoy him then before he learned to mouth off at his older brother but that was when I was still a kid so I didn't really know any better. But even back then, it wasn't so much hate as getting annoyed with him. It's a lot different now than it was before. He has this thing where he can just… I dunno make people like him. I guess it's because he's genuine yanno? Kid can't even lie or hide nutin' to save his life. Everything he does is honest. Maybe a little too honest. But people sense that and they like it because folks like a little bit of honesty nowadays and the fact that he's a nice kid is a great bonus."

"That's a surprisingly eloquent observation," Phantom remarked.

Utah looked somewhat embarrassed but mostly pleased with himself, puffing up proudly. "Yep! One of my many talents."

"But you're wrong on one account. There is someone out there who hates Evan by the very virtue of his existence."

Utah raised a brow. "Oh yeah? And who could that be?"

"The Black Mage."

o-O-o

Afternoon eventually melted into a slow blend of soft pastels which in turn mixed and blurred together into the black of night.

It was underneath this sleepy sky that the family assembled around the round dining table and their dinner eaten in the midst of an awkward silence that befell upon the room like a heavy blanket. Each person felt the urge to speak, to absolve the oppressive air but their thoughts always seemed to fall short and they were unable to think of how to start.

The thought of giving the family a little push flickered through Phantom's mind once or twice over the course of their funeral-like meal but it was no more than a fleeting idea because it was not up to him to proceed with the matter.

Finally, just as the last of the dessert was being cleared off everyone's plates, Gustav cleared his throat and said, "So, I know that since yesterday's… discovery, everyone has a lot of things on their minds. Now I don't know if we're all ready for a family meeting yet to discuss it but I think it's better to clear up the air sooner rather than later. What do you think?"

His eyes roved around the table slowly, taking in the various expressions and reactions of his family. His gaze was met with nods of assent from each person and he smiled proudly. His family was a strong bunch.

Anna turned to look at Evan, distraught eyes a mirror of her inner turmoil. "I just want to ask… Evan, are you sure about this?" she blurted out, hands clenched tightly under the table.

Evan looked down at the table and swallowed thickly. "Truthfully, I'm not. I know I have to do this for everyone but… I'm still scared. But with Sir Phantom, I feel a lot better though," he hastily added, eyes darting towards Phantom uncertainly.

Phantom nodded. "Certainly you will have my support."

"M-mom, dad, Utah, I-I'm sorry," Evan apologized, eyes starting to water.

"You have nothing to apologize for, son," Gustav assured soothingly.

"I didn't want to make you worried," Evan insisted. "I didn't want to make mom cry or Utah angry or make you sad…"

"Evan, we'll always worry after you," Anna said after a spate of silence. "This is just something bigger than anything we could've imagined. We would like nothing more than to keep you safe, to keep you home but… we know we have to respect your wishes too or at least listen to what you want even if we don't like it. You are capable of making your own decisions. All we can do is talk this over with you, to make sure you're setting yourself on the right path."

"We might just be simple farmers but we're still aware of the spot you're in. If it were just on a personal level, something like this wouldn't even be discussed but… if it's for something as big as the world… it isn't right to forsake it either," Gustav said solemnly.

"Assuming what Mr. Phantom says is really true," Utah interjected.

"I assure you that that is one hundred percent the truth. If it pleases you, I could even get Neinheart to confirm it," Phantom affirmed.

"Well Evan? You mentioned why you wanted to go but can you explain a bit more please?" Gustav plodded gently.

"I don't know if I can explain it right but while I was travelling, I noticed I was the only one with these powers. Everyone else doesn't use a dragon to fight. We were like a special case or something and we thought that we could help people like the Adventurers do. But after what Hiver did and after the memory Afrien showed us, we realized that it's more than that… We only got these powers because of Freud and Afrien's sacrifice and we wasted it because we were being stupid. It's more than making ourselves feel good by helping people. Freud and Afrien fought because it was the right thing to do, because as a two people part of Maple World, they had a duty towards everyone else who were powerless. And I feel that's why I was given this power and why Mir chose me; because they trust me to do the right thing."

"I agree that fighting for the world is the right thing but… is it smart? You're still too young," Gustav pointed out.

"He won't be fighting alone," Phantom informed. "He has my backing and he has the support of the three other Heroes, the Cygnus Knights, the Adventurers, and even the Resistance in Edelstein. If the Black Mage wishes to defeat Evan, he cannot hope to do so without first going through the whole world and powerful though he may be, even he can't do so in such a foolhardy way. We'll all cover for him until he's more than ready to take on any challenges on his own."

Anna smiled and although it didn't entirely erase the lines of worry on her face, her eyes were bright with his reassurance. "We can't thank you enough."

Phantom glanced at Evan to see how he was taking everything only to be met with keen sky-blue orbs before they darted to each person.

"S-so you'll… let me and Mir go?" he asked, hardly able to believe it.

"We don't want to but… we understand the reason… and your own wishes," Gustav said. "And we trust Phantom to watch over you."

"We just want you to write regularly to us so we know you're alright," Anna added.

And it was as though a fresh breath of air have blown through the room and rid it of its previously stagnant air, restoring the house of its previously cozy atmosphere.

Phantom frowned.

But not yet. There were still loose ends to tie and as much as he hated having to destroy this peace all over again, it was an urgent necessity.

"If I may," he said quietly. "As much as I hate to again be the bearer of bad news, I would also like to point out one other thing."

The air stilled and it was like the house was holding its breath, bracing itself, and Phantom inwardly winced.

"Regardless whether you would allow Evan to continue in his endeavors or not, it still remains that he is a Dragon Master, the only one remaining in the world in fact. With a title and power such as that, it is inconceivable that the Black Mage and his followers would allow him to roam free. But while he may be under my and the Maple Alliance's protection, you… are not."

A moment of silence.

Evan had jerked harshly in his seat and was now staring fearfully at him. Utah pursed his lips while Anna and Gustav's hands slowly moved to clasp tightly to each other.

"What do you mean?" Gustav asked softly.

"I won't mince words. You are all now a possible target for the Black Mage's subordinates as the family of the Dragon Master," Phantom said, eyeing each individual with grave eyes. "Since Hiver, a Black Wings member, has managed to escape from Evan, it's highly likely that he has already reported to his superiors and I wouldn't be surprised if they already have information on every one of you now. You are all vulnerable to attacks, which makes you prime targets for capture as a way of subjugating Evan."

"What should we do then?" Anna asked fearfully.

"There's not much you _can_ do," Phantom replied contemplatively still with a frown on his face, sitting back and crossing his arms. "We _could_ ask the Cygnus Knights for help but their forces are already stretched thin as it is. The old stiff, Neinheart, wouldn't deny the request per se because he'd be a fool if he didn't safeguard the family of one of the only people who could face the Black Mage but doubtless he'd attempt to relocate you to a smaller location that's easier to keep an eye on and with a minimal loss of hands. There's no way he would agree to spare potentially hundreds of soldiers to guard a place as vast as this."

Gustav shook his head in distress. "But this farm is our livelihood and it's our home. Parting from it is just… it's unimaginable."

Phantom nodded amiably and didn't push the matter. He didn't have to either because a second later Anna interceded by saying, "But Gustav, as hard as it may be, I say that our safety is more important."

"I know it is Anna, I know but… this place is special. It's all I've known and it means so _much _to me," Gustav confessed regretfully. "How can I think to turn my back on it? It'll be like betraying my own father and my grandfather. This farm was born from their blood, sweat, and tears in order to feed us, to clothe us, and to shelter us, to give a chance to the future generations so that they will always have a place to return to. It's selfish I know but it's like… It's like… like abandoning a member of the family."

Anna squeezed his hand and shifted closer to place her other hand on his forearm, looking at him with sympathetic eyes.

"But what if I said… you might not have to leave and still keep safe?" Phantom asked somewhat enigmatically. "Would you be interested in my proposition?"

Everyone's attention was suddenly fixed on him, eyes filled with struggling hope.

"While the Cygnus Knights cannot, unfortunately, spare anyone in patrolling these lands, I believe I have connections enough and the wealth required to be able to pull it off."

Shock registered on everyone's faces before vehement denials all around the table.

"Nonsense! We don't want you to throw your money away like this! It'll be too expensive!"

"Phantom, we really appreciate your offer and your efforts but this kind of money… there's no way we can repay it all."

"We're not inviting you to sit with us for your money, you know," Utah said, frowning.

"Now let's not jump to conclusions. If you would please allow me to finish," Phantom calmly reassured, fully expecting this kind of reaction.

"I'm not proposing to hire a hundred-odd people to guard the farm. Such a notion would be absurd. They wouldn't have the skills or experience to do so and frankly, I wouldn't trust the lot of them. The more people there are, the easier it is to be able to slip in a rat, not to mention that not everyone would have the best of intentions and they could end up conspiring with the enemy as well as a host of other flaws I would rather not go over. Besides, I doubt you'd appreciate them camping on your property for very long.

Instead, I will hire only a few people but only those I absolutely trust and whose backgrounds I am fully informed of and I'll alert Athena Pierce to keep a sharp lookout for any suspicious activity near you but for the rest…" Here he allowed a mischievous smirk lift a corner of his lips sharp enough to make even Magnus wary. "Well, I'd like to admit that I am a rather talented… trap master."

"You're going to set traps through our farm?" Gustav asked in disbelief.

"I'll admit that that is rather difficult even for someone like me but it doesn't mean I can't try and besides, the Black Wings aren't the only ones with an extensive information network. If there's anyone in Maple World who could keep tabs on their movements from within, it would be me while I remain nearly untraceable," Phantom said, looking somewhat like a self-satisfied cat. "So if they so much as plan to go near you, word would get to me almost instantaneously."

"Are you really that good?" Utah asked doubtfully.

Phantom directed him with a smile that sent a shiver up his spine. "Would you like to find out?"

"Y-yes…? I would actually," Utah managed to reply, impressively managing to swallow down his nervous stutters.

Phantom shrugged. "Very well. I'll give a special demonstration tomorrow, just for you."

"Great…" Utah mumbled weakly.

"Can you really do this? For us?" Anna asked, leaning forward slightly.

"Of course I can, otherwise I wouldn't be offering my services." Phantom's eyes caught Evan's as he spoke and was surprised to find his expressive blue eyes filling with tears.

Immediately upon being caught, Evan hastily turned away, trying to blink away the sheen of wetness as discreetly as possible.

"So is it safe to say that matters are settled for now?" Gustav questioned.

On the contrary, there were still several things to discuss such as emergency plans, informing them about the Black Wings in a little more detail so they knew what to watch out for, how they're going to contact each other if they ever needed to… But they've already gone through enough for the day and the family was just finally able to breathe easy again so Phantom said, "There are still a few loose ends to tie up but they can wait another time."

Gustav nodded. "Tell us when you feel ready. It's… really a good thing we've met you. We wouldn't know what we would've done if we didn't have your help. We… thank you, so much that words can't express it. We're forever in your debt."

Phantom chuckled.

This might very well be the first time he's ever been thanked for any major services he'd done for a family he stole from. The rest of the time, his efforts were met with curses to his name. But then again, he'd never _protected_ any of them before in return.

"I know."

Because somehow, he did. Their gratitude was in their smiles, in their eyes, in their warmth, in the air everywhere, written on their faces. It made him feel genuine to be seen like… this, not like some goddess-given idol from the heavens above or some satire parading as parody of a hero or some legendary thief whose name was cursed the world over once upon a time.

The feeling of blessèd salvation... To be the one to grant these people the hope he himself was deprived of in his desperate youth… He couldn't deny that it felt inexplicably… nice.


	4. Heart-Warming

Oh finally! Finally! I finished it! Ahahahaha! *slightly crazy* I'm so glad I finally have it up at long last! I've had many blocks along the way but I'm glad it just sort of wrote itself out towards the end.

**Doubled-Helix: **Deepest apologies for such a late response. I hope you're still with this story to read this. I suppose that's the kind of depiction Phantom gives off. I think it's part of who he is but I don't think that's _all_ he is. He's playful but I think he could also be mature too but having a charge to look after is what would really throw that side of him into sharp contrast in my opinion because he can't afford to be childish in front of a child. He'd still have his playfulness and moments of childishness but never to the same degree as in his past because now, he has someone who depends on him to survive and he can't very well go mess that up or else Evan and Mir could very well get themselves killed without someone reliable to guide them. At this point, he is starting to learn responsibility for another's life.

As allows, I thank everyone for their continued support of this story! Even if I may not address you all directly, please know that I am always grateful to you!

* * *

"AAAAARRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!"

Anna started and nearly dropped the plate of breakfast she had been ferrying from the kitchen and glanced concernedly towards the stairwell where the scream had come from.

A series of dull crashes, thumps, yelps, and screams later, Utah emerged wide-eyed stumbling down the staircase covered in a green gelatinous substance. Evan gleefully followed shortly after in uncontrollable laughter along with Phantom, who bore a grin wide enough to split his face.

"Boys, what on earth is going on?" Anna asked, approaching Utah to examine the sticky mess. It smelled awfully like green apples.

Utah scowled and grumbled, "Nothing, mom."

"Boy, Sir Phantom sure showed you!" Evan crowed among his fit of giggles.

"Shut it, twerp!" Utah shot back.

Anna simply shook her head with a smile and it struck Phantom that maybe he should've thought beforehand how she might react to a guest playing such pranks on one of her sons.

"Okay, enough you all. Utah, go wash up. Phantom, Evan, breakfast is on the table so go help yourselves."

"Okay mom!" And Evan happily bounded over to start eating while Utah sulkily started to climb the stairs again to wash off the slime from his persons.

"That was quite the prank there," Anna told Phantom laughingly as they also made their way to the table. "I don't think I've ever seen Utah look so shocked before!"

Phantom smiled somewhat uneasily. "I apologize for that. I simply wished to demonstrate my skills."

Anna shook her head. "Oh don't you worry about that. Raising two hyperactive, rambunctious boys, you get used to having one or the other screaming to you after a prank or two so this isn't something new. The only rule about it that I absolutely won't tolerate if it's broken is if it causes injuries or if it hurts someone's feelings."

"I see," Phantom said, smiling in slight relief. He'd really rather not offend his hosts and he'd hate to give this woman a harder time than she's already been through.

"Now get started on your breakfast! Here, have some toast and some milk! A little calcium never hurts anyone!"

Phantom smiled and silently allowed Anna to pile his plate without complaint, even if she piled a little too much and filled his glass a little too full.

"Evan! I expect that plate to be clean!"

Evan whined but obliged nonetheless.

The pitter-patter on the windowpane just to Phantom's left informed him that the day had brought rain just as Gustav had forecasted but as expected, work at the farm wasn't halting for a little bit of moisture.

Utah reappeared down the stairs a few minutes later, looking disgruntled as he plopped himself down onto a chair but not before shooting Phantom a sullen look which the thief returned with a bright, sunny smile.

Evan glanced worriedly out the window at the heavy gray sheets of rain misting the landscape outside and murmured. "Boy, I hope Mir's okay… That rain looks like a terrible thing to be stuck outside in…"

"Mir is a grown dragon. It'll take more than a little rain to incapacitate an Onyx Dragon. I'm sure he'll be fine," Phantom assured as he polished off the last of the scrambled eggs.

"Yeah… maybe…" Evan agreed unconvincingly, looking guilt-struck. "Um… Sir Phantom?"

"Yes?"

"Can I… Can I ask you a favor?"

Phantom arched a brow in interest. "It depends what it may be. I don't walk blindfolded into anything at the behest of anybody, if you know what I mean."

"I'm just… kind of worried about Mir," Evan explained, playing with his bacon. "Can you sort of… check on him? I want to go myself but it's hard enough taking care of a farm without all this rain to add to it. I just… want to make sure he's okay. I haven't seen him in a while… I'm afraid that he's lonely."

Phantom nodded. "I see…" he sighed. "Very well, I'll go check on him. Where may he be?"

Evan perked up. "He should be in that forest south of here, the one we walked through a few days ago to get here."

"Alright. Be assured that I shall give you a report of his condition."

"Thanks sir!" Evan beamed. "Sorry I have to make you do this in the rain and everything. I wish my communication with him isn't so weak," he said sheepishly.

"It's normal. The line of communication between Dragon Masters and their Onyx Dragons are weak at first but they grow stronger as the bonds between them grow stronger, allowing them to communicate more and more at further and further distances."

Evan looked at Phantom admiringly. "Wow sir. You sure know a lot about Dragon Masters and Onyx Dragons. I wish I found you first when me and Mir were trying to find out about who he was."

Phantom gave an easy smile. "You pick up a thing or two when one of your closest friends happens to be a Dragon Master himself."

"It sounds like you've quite the life there," Anna commented, smiling.

"Indeed. Never a dull day," Phantom chuckled.

Breakfast finished, each individual dispersed to their own respective chores for the day.

Armed with a waterproof cloak, a pair of rain boots, and an umbrella generously lent to him by Anna, Phantom began his trek in the direction of the forest.

The virtual rainstorm made visibility harder than usual, smearing the scenery into one incoherent blob of shapes and colors so that bushes were nearly indistinguishable from rocks and the trees nearly indivisible from each other.

He slowed his pace as he neared the trees, skirting around the forest while sharp eyes darted about the gray canvas to pick out the shape of Mir's bulk from amongst the smudged hues.

"Mir? Are you there?" Phantom called over the rain, pausing in his strides to listen for an answer.

There was silence for a few moments before Mir's voice rang in his head, _Sir Phantom?_

A few seconds later, Mir's figure emerged from the forest amidst a rustle of foliage and of scale on bark.

He was drenched but otherwise seemed fine, looking wholly unaffected by the downpour. It might as well have been sunny with the casual way he stood before him as opposed to the waterfalls of raindrops trailing hundreds of rivulets down his flanks. As expected, the rain was no match for waterproof scales and a constant internal temperature warm enough to keep any kind of cold at bay.

_Good morning, Sir Phantom! What are you doing here?_ Mir's yellow eyes were curious as they looked at him, shining like a cat's from the reflected light, the only spot of color in their dreary surroundings and Phantom smiled.

"Good morning, Mir. Evan has sent me to check up on you since he was too busy to do so himself and since you aren't allowed to go near the animals on the farm lest you scare them."

_Oh… Uh, yeah… yeah I'm fine._

Phantom frowned slightly at the slight droop in Mir's eyes and the tone of melancholy in his voice.

"What's wrong?"

Mir shuffled his wings nervously and answered, _Um… I don't mean to offend you by saying this sir, but… you… wouldn't exactly be the first person I'd go to for my problems…_ He cringed as he finished his thoughts as though he had just been dealt a blow to the head.

"Is that so? Normally I'd agree but the fact that you haven't shared whatever's been bothering you with Evan shows me that you can't afford to be picky with who you go to for help and I'm going to guess that whatever's troubling you involves him, am I correct?"

There was a moment's pause before Mir seemed to deflate and replied with an affirmative in a slightly resigned tone.

Phantom blew out a puff of air and ran fingers through his hair. When had he become the therapist around here?

"So? What's wrong?"

Mir shifted uncomfortably, turning his head to the side and scanning the area with nervously darting eyes.

_W-well I… I guess it's just that I feel a bit… lonely._

Phantom furrowed his brows. "Lonely?"

_Yeah, ever since we got here. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy master gets to see his family again, especially since I was the reason why he wandered away in the first place but… I… master's the only one I have and for a long time, I was the only one master had too while we were travelling but… it's different now. Master has his family but I have… no one else. And master's family is afraid of me and I feel like I've been forgotten already…_

Forgotten… It has been true that Mir hasn't been participating in the family's affairs since that second night and he hasn't even so much as glimpsed a scale during his days traipsing aimlessly around the farm.

He made a mental note to speak to Evan about that. He cannot leave essentially the other half of his soul in the dark like this. They need to work on their communication otherwise their mental and their emotional bonds will never get stronger.

"Have you considered talking to Evan about this?"

Mir shook his head fervently.

"And why not?"

_Because I don't want to upset master. Master only has a few days to spend with his family and then after that, we'll be together all the time. I can wait a few days. _

Mir has certainly matured admirably but it still remained that in terms of dragon years, he was still a hatchling despite his fearsome appearance of a miniature adult Onyx Dragon and just as any sentient fledgling creature, he needed attention and affection.

"It's certainly admirable that you would be so willing to endure your discomfort for your master's sake however, it still remains that Evan is hurting you, even if unintentionally. Do you believe that is fair to yourself?"

_But it's not about me…_

"Do you truly believe you are doing some inherit good by keeping this to yourself? What noble intentions. Do you forget that noble intentions were what got you in trouble with the Black Wings in the first place?"

Mir didn't answer.

"Suppose that a Black Wings member were to attack you right this second. Do you mean to tell me that you could defend your master and his family with this sick heart?"

_I'll always protect master and his family! No matter what I feel!_ Mir growled, bearing his teeth but Phantom wasn't cowed.

"I have no doubts about that and I'm sure you would be able to hold your own against Black Wings grunts but most of what composes your enemies are smarter and a lot more powerful than that. You may believe you can fight as you are now but can you really? Can you look at Evan right this moment and not feel that surge of frustration and loneliness?"

Mir turned away, a small whine escaping his throat.

"Your doubt says it all. You cannot fight like this. A Dragon Master and their Onyx Dragon must always, _always _have an open line of communication. It is what fosters trust, it is what strengthens bonds, _and it is what could save your life_ because it is through communication that you relay vital information to each other, your states of mind and knowledge both."

Mir dropped to the muddy ground and covered his eyes with his paws.

_I'm sorry, Sir Phantom,_ he whimpered, the beginning of sobs wracking his body. _I'll tell master but I'm scared… What if he thinks I'm being selfish? I shouldn't feel like this. Master hasn't seen his family in so long and I've already put him in danger by choosing him as my master and now I want him to give me attention. If only I hadn't chosen master! Maybe his family wouldn't be so sad and master could live with them happy and safe here! _Mir wailed mournfully.

"And if you have chosen someone else, _their _families would be upset all the same and _they _would be in danger in Evan's stead. I have told Evan this and I shall tell this to you too: It isn't possible to please everyone in the world. It is simply not done. The best decisions you can make are for you and you alone. No one else. Besides, it wasn't even your conscious choice. You and Evan were bound together even before you've met."

_But… I don't want to… That's so… selfish… to only do things for yourself._

"And how do you suppose you can help others if you can't even help yourself?" Phantom challenged.

Mir uncovered a large pitiable yellow eye and let out a mixture between a whimper and a growl.

_But I… I want master to be happy, _he moaned plaintively.

"Mir, Evan is the other half of your soul. Do you really think he'd be happy to know you were in any kind of pain?"

_N-no… _Mir answered as a high-pitched whine emanated from his throat.

"Then I suggest you go talk to him."

Mir whimpered and sat up, lowering his head to peer at Phantom with wide, hesitant eyes that reminded of a shy child peering from behind their mother's skirts.

_Will… you come with me?_

"I suppose I don't have a choice. You both would be completely at a loss without me," Phantom huffed. "Come, let's find Evan."

_N-now?_ Mir squeaked, recoiling.

Phantom raised a brow. "Yes now. The sooner we clear the air, the better so that future misunderstandings won't crop up at the most inconvenient times."

_B-but I'm not ready!_ Mir protested, backing away slightly.

Phantom frowned. "And when _will_ you be ready? A minute? An hour? A day? A week? A month? Within the span of your long life, Mir, you will undoubtedly and unquestioningly encounter many, many situations you could never prepare for nor will you ever be ready for, especially now that you are the last Onyx Dragon. In those instances, there will be no option to back down nor will there be room for hesitation for even an instant. You must learn to take things as they come, no matter how suddenly and unexpectedly, and you must learn to adapt flexibly. Compared to what lies in the future, confronting Evan by my urging is but a mere trifle. Now come."

With that note of finality, Phantom swiveled around and walked briskly away.

There was an utter of hesitant discontent before the reluctant splashes of footfall on mud sounded from behind, trailing after him.

"I won't drop this matter even if you follow behind me. We'll find Evan in the end, that fact is inevitable. But it's your choice whether you want to prolong your suffering or not."

Silently, Mir moved to take the lead, following the string of connection he had with Evan until they came upon a small figure wearing a bright yellow raincoat in the middle of a rather large pig pen, the rain pelting relentlessly down upon him as he hastened across the large area with a metal bucket.

"Hey, Evan!"

The figure paused at the call, turning confusedly about to find the source, a drenched sleeve moving to wipe the rain away from eyes hidden under the hood of the coat and to shield his vision as he scanned his surroundings until he finally spotted them.

"Sir Phantom! And… Mir! What're you two doing here?" Evan cried as he made his way towards them.

Phantom smiled. "Hello, Evan. We are here because one of us has business with you, it seems."

He nudged Mir, who looked at him with slightly panicked eyes before lifting his gaze towards Evan, who stared back in concern.

"Mir, what's wrong? Are you cold? Are you feeling sick?" Evan's eyes widened in alarm. "Should I get a doctor? Medicine? Sir Phantom! How do you treat sick dragons?"

Phantom sighed. "Evan, calm down. Mir isn't sick. Just listen to what he has to say."

"Oh." Evan turned his attention once more to his partner. "What is it, Mir?"

_Master…_ Mir whimpered. _I… I'm… lonely. _

"Lonely…?"

_I-I know that master wants to see his family while he still could but I… I haven't spent much time with master o-or seen him a lot these past few days and it's so lonely and I'm so selfish for thinking like this and I'm sorry!_

"Mir… how long have you been feeling this way?" Evan asked, looking shocked.

_Since we got here, _Mir whimpered. _I'm sorry master!_

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Evan cried. "My family's important but Mir, you're part of us too you know! I… I didn't mean to make you feel excluded…"

_B-But I thought master's family is scared of me…_ Mir said sadly._ A-And if I come with master, I'd scare the animals…_

Evan drew closer to his partner, shaking his head. "Mir… no… Mom and dad and… o-okay maybe not Utah but my folks aren't scared of you, not after the first day otherwise they'd have never let you near the house the second day. As for scaring the animals… I-I don't think you need to keep yourself so far away that you feel as though you're not welcome! You might spook them at first b-but I think they'll learn to get used to you."

_But master is with his family…_

"But you're family too, Mir! Whether you know it or not! You've protected me while we were travelling and you were there for me when things were rough! How could we not call you family after all that?"

_But it's so selfish! I'm so selfish! Wanting master for myself! Even after I've put master in so much danger!_

Mir stomped the muddy ground beneath his feet, growing more and more visibly upset further intensified without any viable or adequate way to express the pent up frustrated energy he was feeling.

Evan tossed the bucket aside and flung himself over the fence and at Mir, wrapping his arms around his foreleg in a hug.

"I'm sorry, Mir! I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention to your feelings! Even after all you've done for me! I'm sorry! The one who was being selfish was me, Mir! Not you! You were always there for me and I… I was so caught up with myself that I wasn't there for you!"

_Master…_ Mir sniffed, shielding Evan from the rain and enfolding him within his wings. _Master I'm sorry_.

"I'm sorry too. You're always welcome on our farm and in our home, always. I've never regret meeting you, Mir. Did you know that? Never. Not once during our journey did I ever regret it or even after everything that's happened because… you were the best thing that's ever happened to me in my whole life and nothing in the world could ever change that. And… I've always wanted to thank you… for choosing me as your master… for choosing me as your friend… I… I'm just… so… honored…"

Tears intermingled with rain flowed down Mir's scaled cheeks and he lowered his head to bump against Evan, who gently wrapped his arms around his snout.

"It's okay, Mir. You don't have to be alone anymore. I'll always be there with you and I'll always be there _for _you. I never want you to hide something like this from me again and… I promise I won't hide anything from you either."

_I promise too, _Mir mumbled, fat tears like translucent pearls falling from golden eyes. _I love you, master._

Evan smiled warmly, his own cerulean eyes blurred slightly with tears. "I love you too, Mir."

Time twisted into a standstill of ageless eons and eternities in the midst of which they stood with nothing but the beat of the rain and that enclosed space, nothing but the two of them together within an eternity of immeasurable time with another eternity of infinite future moments ahead that they would gladly live through if they lived it together.

"As much as I would hate to break apart this lovely moment, it's cold, it's wet, I have work to do, _you _have work to do, and there's still something I want to talk to the both of you about."

At the sound of Phantom's voice, their little bubble of a private world of just two popped and they were abruptly brought back to reality.

"O-oh, sorry we uh… we kinda forgot you were there, Sir Phantom," Evan apologized sheepishly, still standing under the awning of one of Mir's wings, protected from the slight chill of the air and the wetness of the rain.

_Sorry,_ Mir echoed equally as sheepish as his partner.

"I've noticed," Phantom said dryly. "But getting to the matter, what I wanted to say was that that level of miscommunication is unacceptable."

"I know. It won't happen ever again but um… what do you mean by that?" Evan asked.

"I'm sure you already know that as you grow, Evan, Mir's growth reflects that and vice versa. The amount of growth you both experience are conjoined together however, do you know where that power comes from?"

_Our experience with fighting?_ Mir hazarded.

"That's part of it but the other part is your bond. The two of you share one soul so that each of you is essentially half of each other's souls. The closer you grow together, the more complete your soul is and the more complete your soul, the stronger your potential and your power. However, your bond can only grow stronger if you actually keep _in touch_ with each other; your thoughts and feelings as well as knowledge. I'm not saying you must share absolutely _everything. _Privacy and boundaries will have to be something established between the two of you but what you must do is build trust. As you begin to spend more time together and develop that trust, your bond in turn will also start to grow deeper. Do you understand the point I'm trying to make?"

"So in order to get stronger, we have to make our bond stronger and to do that, we have to build our trust in each other as well as sharing information?" Evan summarized.

"That's right. The bond between the two of you is something you must continually _work _at. You cannot treat it like a light switch to turn on and off whenever you please." Evan stared towards the ground at that. "However, if you are successful in fostering your bond, the advantages you gain will be numerous. Besides your increase in power, by continually sharing information, you will eventually make a habit of it so that it'll always be something you just automatically do, constantly relaying to one another even when separated so that there's no danger of missing pieces while at the same time gaining a wealth of knowledge that one or the other may have missed. The distance with which you can keep communication will be increased between you as well as your ability to sense each other. Also, while your spells will be weaker without your partner around, they would still be formidable enough to be reckoned with because you are able to siphon energy from each other even without their presence in your immediate vicinity.

"So as you can see, they're vastly useful tools if you ever find yourselves separated and you'll never be completely helpless. I'm sure you'll also find other powers that are unknown to me as you grow but all that is only if you're able to nurture your relationship to such a degree. Your bond is much more important than something that simply links you to each other. It's something that could also one day save your lives."

Mir and Evan, both of whom were listening with grave attentiveness, nodded their comprehension.

"We understand, sir," Evan voiced.

_We'll do our best to never let this happen again!_

"See to it that it doesn't. Now…" Phantom stretched slightly. "I believe you still have work around the farm and I had best start on my traps. Both of you take care now and don't forget what I had just told you."

"We won't!" Evan chorused along with Mir. "C'mon, Mir. I'm sure there's something we need you for around the farm. There's a lot of stuff we could use your dragon strength for!"

_Okay master!_

With that, Mir bounded happily after Evan as he raced across the pig pen, wing still extended to shield his partner protectively from the rain.

Phantom didn't spare the duo another moment's glance. He had his own task set out in front of him after all and no, he didn't care how much Gaston called him lazy, he knew his priorities. If he decided to skive off training and if—as impossible as the following scenario would be—he happened to get tangled into something bigger than himself, that would be his own way however, he will _not_ indulge in his carefree attitude at the expense of another's life and misery. And he will never do so. Not like…

Shaking off the memories, Phantom turned and evaluated his surroundings.

Now… where to start?

o-O-o

He hadn't meant to skip lunch. In fact, he hadn't even been aware that he had skipped lunch until he was confronted by a disgruntled Utah who was looking a little worse for wear.

"There you are! Make my life harder wouldja?"

By now, the rain had let up into a drizzle but the wet still clung to the world as well as a slight mist and an overarching light gray sky.

Phantom rose from the spot he was kneeling over and glanced over towards Utah wearing a blue raincoat and an exasperated yet slightly curious expression.

"We all had our lunch inside today but we couldn't find you so mom saved some stuff for you if you wanna go get it. What're you doin' anyway?"

"Trap-setting," Phantom replied simply. "Thank you for going through the trouble of informing me."

"Sure, no sweat but next time, pick a day when it's not raining to skip lunch so I don't have to trudge through miles of mud and wet to try to find you."

"I'll keep that in mind," Phantom chuckled.

"Hey, I know you're pretty good at that kinda thing but do you mind telling me how you're setting this trap thing up? 'Cause our farm isn't exactly a garden here."

"Yes and that is exactly why I'm setting up something simple that won't require an overt amount of work and attention yet still effective against intruders. More than warding off the enemy, its main function is to alert you to take immediate emergency action while it stalls their movements because I am unfortunately not skilled in magic enough to integrate barriers of such a wide scale. Evan would be able to but he is also not yet skilled enough to do so. Perhaps when he has grown a little more, we can come back and upgrade my traps."

"Makes sense," Utah hummed. "But it's been a while since breakfast and it's only two so dinner won't be ready for a long time. I think you could afford a break. Don't worry, if any enemies break in during the time it takes for you to eat, I'll fend 'em off!"

"Is that so? Well then, I leave sentry duty in your capable hands despite the fact that you can't even seem to fend off your own younger brother," Phantom said, grinning widely as he walked away, leaving a spluttering Utah behind.

Phantom made his way through the open fields and back towards the house, pausing at the front door to knock before entering.

"Ex—"

"Oh Phantom you poor dear! You're absolutely drenched! You'd better get out of those wet clothes immediately before you catch a cold! Here, let me take those for you. Take off those boots and go take a nice, warm shower!"

Without waiting for an answer, Anna took the umbrella from his hands and unwrapped the cloak from around his shoulders before fretfully ushering a speechless Phantom upstairs. The thief could do little more than vacantly comply as his jumbled mind worked to figure out just what exactly was happening.

"Fresh towels are on the rack and clothes will be in your room. Just toss your wet ones into the hamper! If you need anything, don't be shy and give a shout. I'll be downstairs making something to warm you right back up!"

The door closed behind him with a firm click, leaving Phantom standing dumbstruck in the middle of the bathroom staring blankly at the bathtub.

What… just happened? He hadn't even stepped foot into the house for more than a second when Anna accosted him at the doorway and… did… did she just… coddle him? That was very… strange…

Deciding to shrug it off for now in favor of a nice shower to stave off the cold setting into his bones, he walked out of the bathroom a few minutes later, refreshed and warmed up.

He wandered into the bedroom where indeed, a neatly folded pile of clothing sat on the bed which he quickly put on before returning back downstairs.

Anna was waiting for him on the couch sitting in front of the fire blazing in the fireplace, casting a hearty yellowish-orange glow on the surrounding area. On the low coffee table in front of her sat two mugs of steaming liquid and a platter with some wraps enfolded in napkins and strangely enough, a small pile of marshmallows, graham crackers, pieces of chocolate and several roaster sticks.

At the sound of his footfalls down the stairs, she turned and smiled at him, patting the seat beside her as an invitation to sit.

Phantom obliged and Anna immediately pressed a mug of what smelled like hot cocoa into his hands upon doing so.

"Sorry dearie I didn't know what you would've preferred but I think hot chocolate is always good during chilly weather like this," Anna said, taking a sip from her own mug and sitting back on the cushions comfortably.

"I don't mind," Phantom assured with a smile, taking a small swallow of hot chocolate. The rich, sweet aroma that immediately flooded his mouth was magnificent.

"Go ahead and help yourself! You've skipped lunch haven't you? You can't work on an empty stomach and it's still a while until dinner!"

"Thank you madam I sincerely appreciate this," Phantom said as he took a wrap from the platter. Now that he was looking at actual food, he realized just how hungry he was.

"Oh don't you mention it. You're such a polite young man," Anna sighed.

"Thank you. Now please tell that to my butler," Phantom teased, taking a bite of the wrap.

"Your butler doesn't think you're polite?" Anna asked smilingly.

"On the contrary, and if I may quote him word for word, he said to me that 'contrary to what you may be deluding yourself into thinking, polite snark and being an actual well-mannered gentleman are two entirely different things. Please learn that difference.'"

Anna laughed. "Well then, I'll be sure to tell that butler of yours that you were very respectful during your stay here so he could use this as future reference."

"My indignant pride will thank you," Phantom chuckled.

"So Phantom, if you don't mind me prying a little, can you tell me a bit about yourself? Where you grew up, your favorite color, funny things you've seen anything at all."

Phantom's smile slipped slightly before he managed to regain his cheerful mask and answered, "I grew up in Ariant. I wasn't actually very wealthy while I was a child but I suppose things worked out for me in the end. My favorite color is gold and funny things I've seen? Hmm… Well I suppose it'd have to be bearing witness to one of my compatriots turning the most fascinating shades of purple."

"Oh my. If I hadn't known beforehand, I'd say you've got quite the mischievous streak you do. I grew up in Henesys and Gustav was actually my childhood sweetheart. We were quite the pair around town! Getting into our infamous fights and then making up again." Anna took another sip of hot chocolate. "I could always look back on those memories fondly. Those were some of my most treasured moments. Of course I'm very much happy with my life right now but those were such wonderful times."

Phantom didn't reply for a long while as he slowly finished his food. He wiped his fingers with the napkin and in a quiet voice he said, "You sound as though you've had a happy life."

"I did but I can't say every part of my life has been happy. There are rough bumps of course but that's life for you." Anna glanced concernedly towards him and asked, "Is everything alright dearie?"

Phantom shook his head and ushered a smile. "No, I suppose you're right."

"You know you can share anything that's on your mind with me," Anna reassured.

"Can I really?" Phantom murmured slightly cynically before he could stop himself and he bit his tongue, cursing himself inwardly for the blunder.

"Well of course you can," Anna replied. "Why? Is there something troubling you?"

Phantom exhaled a whoosh of breath. "No, there isn't."

"Well it must be something for you to make that kind of face. I'm not here to judge you, Phantom. We're family after all."

Family. He won't be part of that word for long when they learn of his true occupation but the damage here is already done. The least he could do now is give a satisfactory enough answer that won't delve too deeply into the issue. Maybe someday. But that someday isn't now. And perhaps there will never be a now. He simply couldn't lose this family's trust in him if only because their cooperation with him was essential.

"What if I told you that I haven't been totally honest with you about who I am?" Phantom asked instead.

"Well then I'd say that's fine," Anna replied.

"Fine? But for all you know, I'm an internationally wanted criminal," Phantom said carefully, frowning.

"Maybe you are one," Anna conceded graciously. "But you know what? I've always believed that a man's worth is in who he is now. Maybe you have done some terrible things. We all have a little of that inside of us. I've certainly done some things that I'm not proud of but it doesn't make me any less of an honest woman. But some people can't accept that. Sometimes it might even be yourself. I certainly can't forgive myself for some of the things I've done but that's why we have family. If it's not up to family to accept you as you are and to forgive you despite what you did, then who would?"

Phantom nodded numbly and Anna patted him on the arm.

"You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to dear. That's all up to you but know that if you ever want to talk, we'll be there to listen. Now cheer up and let's make some s'mores!"

Phantom blinked down at the roaster stick offered to him.

"I'm afraid I… don't know what those are…" he confessed, taking the stick.

"Well then you'll know soon enough," Anna said cheerily, getting up from her seat on the couch and crouching by the fireplace.

Phantom followed suit, watching and listening as Anna explained how to make a s'more.

The resulting food was delicious and Phantom said as much to Anna, who beamed as she stacked a graham cracker to finish her second s'more.

"Isn't it? We sometimes make them in the fireplace. It's a such wonderful snack." Anna finished off her s'more and stood from her spot. "I'd better get a start on dinner."

"Would you like some help?"

"Oh no that's fine, thank you! You just relax out here. Feel free to help yourself to anything in the house okay?"

With that, Anna headed off into the kitchen, leaving Phantom alone to contemplate what he should do.

He didn't really fancy the idea of going out in the rain again and it was close to dinnertime anyway. So then what was there to do?

In the end, he decided to borrow a book on Maple World legends from the bookshelf upstairs and plop himself on the couch to begin reading. It was in this way that he spent the time until the front door opened once again and Utah and Evan came tromping in, soggy and dripping water all over the entryway.

"Hey mom we're home!" Utah announced upon entering.

Anna immediately darted from the kitchen and proceeded to fuss over her sons in the same manner she had done earlier with himself.

As Anna helped Evan struggle out of his raincoat, Utah casted a glance towards the fireplace area and gasped.

"What? _Mom!_ You were making _s'mores_ without us with Mr. Phantom? How could you?" he cried dramatically.

Anna tsked and said, "Because Phantom here didn't try to start a mud war with his brother."

Both boys instantly froze and Utah's eyes darted about nervously. "Uh… H-how did you know that?"

Anna simply gave a knowing look and replied, "A mother sees all. Now hurry upstairs and get yourselves dry. I'll have something for you when you come back."

Neither boy needed anymore prompting before scurrying upstairs to rid themselves of their sticky and uncomfortable clothing and maybe before their mother changed her mind on letting them go easy.

Giving a huff, Anna turned to Phantom, who had been watching the scene, and pointed at the rather large mud clot on the back of Evan's hood before shaking her head, smiling.

"You're trickier than you look," Phantom said laughingly to which Anna grinned.

"Oh I've had my fair share of mischief in my days. Surprise mud fights are nothing new to me. I can smell them a mile away."

"You are full of surprises madam."

"Why thank you dear now go wash up. Dinner's almost ready."

A few more minutes later and Gustav came home and Anna quickly received him at the doorway.

"Whew! That's quite some rain. I thought it would stop but it only came back harder than before," he said, shedding his drenched cloak.

Anna offered him a towel and nudged him towards the stairs.

"The boys might be using the bathroom right now but dry yourself for now and get yourself into some new clothes. I'll get some warm tea ready for you."

"Thank you, Anna. Good work today, Phantom," Gustav said as he made his way up the stairs.

"Thank you. Good work to you too."

A while passed before the sound of a rowdy chatter and a stampede of footsteps down the stairs announced the reentrance of the two boys.

"Man today sucked. I was all the way up to my knees in mud!" Utah sighed as he dropped on the couch to Phantom's left.

"Tell me 'bout it. I had to run around all day with mud in my boots," Evan groaned, tumbling onto a seat to Phantom's right. "How was your day sir?"

"I've spent a very comfortable afternoon nice and warm in front of this fireplace," Phantom answered smugly, smirking.

"Lucky," Evan grumbled, slouching down on the couch.

"And making s'mores without us," Utah pouted sullenly to his left.

Phantom turned to him amusedly. "Aren't you a little too old to be pouting over something so trifling?"

"Yeah well… shut up!" Utah shot back.

"Utah's like a big kid," Evan added helpfully.

"The baby of the family shouldn't talk," Utah said loudly.

"I'm not the baby of the family!" Evan retorted. "Aunt Marci is about to have a baby so ha! I'm not the youngest anymore!"

"Yeah well in this house you are."

"Dinner's ready! We're going to eat in front of the fireplace this time," Anna said, poking her head out the entryway.

"Aw sweet! I love when we do this!" Utah exclaimed giddily.

"See? Like a total kid."

"Shut up brat."

It wasn't long before each family member was comfortably seated around the fireplace, plates of dinner in hand and engaged in lively conversation.

"Is it just me or does this shrimp taste better than usual today?" Utah sighed contentedly, popping the bit of seafood into his mouth.

"Well, I think anything would taste better after a day of hard work in the wet and cold rain while sitting in front of a fireplace with everybody," Gustav commented.

"You know what that means?" Utah asked, grinning and sitting up.

"I think I do," Gustav chuckled, winking.

"I'm breaking out the cards!" Utah cried, putting down his food and running off.

"Mom? Dad? Can I say something?" Evan suddenly piped up.

"Of course you can sweetie," Anna replied.

"Can we do something with Mir some time? He's been lonely because he thinks you guys are afraid of him… Can you just sorta… talk to him about that some time?"

"Ah is that so? Hmm there's no harm in that," Gustav said. "I must admit that I'm still feeling a bit apprehensive about having a dragon on our farm but—"

"He won't hurt you," Evan retorted, sounding slightly upset.

"Hold on now Evan let me finish," Gustav chided. "But I'm willing to give it a try. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Please try to understand that this is as much excitement as I've ever experienced in my life and it's a bit frightening to suddenly be introduced to a dragon of all things. I don't mean to upset you, Evan and I know you trust him completely which is why I'll put my faith in him too."

Evan nodded and turned to his mother. "What about you, mom?"

"I have no problems with it whatsoever," Anna said.

"Okay then. Utah probably won't want to come along because he's too chicken thou—Hey!"

Evan rubbed the back of his head where he had been hit by Utah as he was passing by on his way back to his seat on the couch.

"I ain't chicken. I've patted him on the head remember? I'm not scared of him," Utah huffed, throwing himself back onto the cushions with a pack of cards in his hands which he set down on the table.

"Yeah right. That was just one time. You screamed like a little girl when you saw him with me today."

"I did not scream like a little girl! And I was startled! Anyone would be when a dragon suddenly appears out of thin air behind them!"

"But he was right beside you."

"Details! Point is that I didn't see him okay?"

"Okay, okay," Evan said indulgently in a way that was reminiscent of the way adults placated children.

"Brat! No respect for your older brother! Aren't you gonna say something to him mom?"

"Evan, respect your brother," Anna said, barely able to contain her giggles.

"Okay. Here."

"Why'd you just give me a portion of your food?"

"This is my way of showing respect."

"Cheeky brat!"

After the plates and forks and remnants of their dinner were cleared away, the roaster sticks were passed around as everyone gathered closer around the fireplace, the table moved aside to accommodate them on the floor, and before long, the steady smell of roasted marshmallows and sweet chocolate filled the air.

"Okay so," Utah said through his mouthful of s'mores. "Go fish or old maid?"

"Let's take a vote," Gustav suggested. "I think I would like to play… hmmm… go fish."

"Go fish!" Evan said, raising a hand. "Because it's funny watching Utah fail at cheating."

Utah scowled. "Go fish."

"Go fish," Anna chimed.

"I'm alright with either," Phantom said, shrugging.

Evan shot him a distrustful look and the thief smirked, shaking his head. "Don't worry, I won't cheat… although even if I do decide to, you wouldn't know anyway," he sniggered.

"Everyone, watch Sir Phantom. He's dangerous," Evan announced, huffing.

"Is that so? Then we'll keep an eye out on him then," Anna said, laughing.

"Hear that Phantom? We've got our eyes on you so no funny business," Gustav warned jokingly as he shuffled the deck.

That night, Phantom won thirteen out of thirty games of cards although he made sure not to win more so that his _slight_ cheating wouldn't go _too _noticed although he suspected it might've been a futile venture anyway with the way Evan and Utah was looking at him, much to Anna and Gustav's great amusement.

And though Phantom only had an inkling of it at that time, in the many years to come, this moment would forever be burned into his memories as one of the happiest moments he had ever experienced in his relatively young life; a moment he could fall back on and safely call it comfort.

* * *

I admit that Phantom's explanations on Evan and Mir's bond was heavily influenced by Eragon but since I believe the whole concept of Dragon Masters and Onyx Dragons are based off of Eragon, it's not too far-fetched.


End file.
